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Visit to Diva Metalworking Ltd and supper at Howfield Manor Hotel

8th October 2024
Venue: Stone Stile Farm, Selling
8th October  Evening visit Diva Metalwork Ltd, architectural metalworkers based in Selling.
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Banter with Bonkers - Fundraising evening with Andy McConnell

12th October 2024
Venue: Prince of Wales Youth Club, Military Road, Canterbury
'Banter with Bonkers' A charity fundraiser for the Prince of Wales Youth Club on the evening of Saturday, 12th October, 2024.
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Duck Race 2014 – Pictures

The 16th Annual Duck Race organised each year by the Rotary Club of Canterbury took place on Saturday 12th July in the Westgate Gardens, Canterbury. Weather conditions were cool and overcast, but the rain held off.

photos by Robin Hendy and Jenny Anderson
click any image to enlarge

“Welcome to the Duck Race” says Mike Talbot

Mike with Julian Brazier MP and the Town Crier

Lenham’s Town Crier Gez Clarke in full cry

Peter Hermitage says “My wellies are longer than his!”

Martin Ward is this year’s Back Stop

The Wet Team, L to R: Rotarians Mark Esdale, Alastair Scott, Sharon Jordan, Martin Ward and Peter Hermitage

The Lady of the Lake: Sharon Jordan is used to being “up to her waist in Alligators”

President Viv Pritchard & Past President Robert Yonge stay on the bridge with Sue Hendy & a young Hermitage

In the far distance can be seen the very first ducks.
The real ducks rush to meet them

There is one duck well out in front!

It’s Number 2 hundred and something!

Mark Esdale fishes out the winning duck

Peter Hermitage spots the first Corporate Duck with its red colouring

Who sponsored the winning Regular & Corporate ducks? …the Management Team confirm the results

Immediate Past President Geoff Goodban and Pauline Davies watch the river to see….

…what looks like two conjoined Siamese twin ducks

The river Stour is filled with yellow bodies

Even the local punts are surrounded

The Town Crier receives applause from the crowd

Jenny Anderson and Evelyne Denham sharing a joke

Hugs from Gill Dixon and Christine Morris

The final clear-up of over 3,000 yellow plastic ducks, ready for next year

Rotarians had been busy over the previous weeks taking every possible opportunity in the Centre of Canterbury and in local supermarkets to find sponsors for the ducks – so that on the day, 3,750 bright yellow ducks were thrown in to the swift-flowing waters of the River Stour from the bridge at Toddlers Cove. A sight to be seen – as each duck fought against the currents and the weeds to get to the front along the quarter-mile stretch.

A lot of the fun of the day was in watching the very smoothly-run operation of herding up the stragglers and those who had “retired” to the river banks as well as in scooping up all those who had eventually made it to the finishing line. It was evident that many a Canterbury Rotarian simply enjoyed messing about ‘in’ the river!

There were two categories of racers – those sponsored by individuals at a cost of £1 and corporate ducks sponsored by local businesses @ £25. The eventual winning ducks won £250, £100 and £50 for their lucky sponsors, and the corporate duck won its sponsor six bottles of Champagne.

The event raised nearly £6,000 for the Rotary Club, funds which will be distributed to charities selected by the Club in the coming year…. and as for the ducks, they retire to their “hibernation” until 2015.

Many thanks to our generous sponsors; Kent Relaince and Crimefighter Alarms

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The Rotary Club of Canterbury
St Lawrence Cricket Ground
Old Dover Road,
Canterbury, Kent,
CT1 3NZ,
United Kingdom

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