World Championship Coracle Race

The River Severn in Shrewsbury will be filled with the thrills and spills of world championship coracle racing later this year as a major charity event makes a welcome return.

The Macmillan World Championship Coracle Race, sponsored by JT Hughes Hyundai, will take place on the afternoon of Friday 15th September - and teams are being urged to sign up as soon as possible.

The event will see teams of four paddle a traditional coracle boat in a relay race across the river, with the winners being crowned world champions. It raised about £20,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support last year, and organisers are hoping to beat that total this September.

Helen Knight, fundraising manager for Macmillan in Shropshire, said the event was a fun way of helping a really worthwhile cause. She said: “The coracle championships are always one of the highlights of our year and attract hundreds of people to Pengwern Boat Club on the banks of the River Severn. It’s a fun family afternoon, with a barbeque and refreshments providing plenty of energy for people watching the fun on the river.

“Coracles are quite difficult to move quickly through the water which means that we do get a few capsizes but that all just adds to the drama of the racing. Lots of businesses use the event as a great way of doing some team-building and raising money for charity at the same time, so we are hoping for another good turn-out this year.”