THE annual Raft Racing on The Bishop’s Palace moat will take place on Bank Holiday Monday, August 25. There are races for Juniors and Adults, fun races and special awards such as best dressed crew and best raft (remember Thomas the Tank Engine from last year?).
There will be lots of watery fun for everyone and all proceeds will be donated to local charitable organisations by City of Wells Lions. Lions are only the instigators of these events, which are made possible by local businesses sponsoring the event, but most of all the people of Wells supporting the event.
The adventurous can help support local charities by forming a team and building their own raft and enjoying the fun. Help and guidance building a raft is available thanks to Mendip Activity Centre: https://mendip.me/book/raft_building/. The Scouts offer some raft building ideas: https://sfni.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/05S-Raft-Building-Resource.pdf and https://www.scoutadventures.org.uk/activity/raft-building#lg=1&slide=0.
Monmouth has raft racing and provides information on raft building and materials: https://monmouthraftrace.com/building-a-raft/. Plastic barrels may be available from farms and garages, and Monmouth provides contact details for a barrel supplier.
To enter, application packs with regulations and raft specification are available on the new boat race website https://www.wellsmoatboatrace.com/ or from City of Wells Lions, email cityofwellslions@gmail.com. Maximum crew size is six (teams up to eight), minimum age to take part is 13 years old by Monday, August 25, 2025, the day of the races. The number of entries for each race is limited so it will be ‘first come, first served’.
To volunteer to help with running the races, contact the Lions: moatboatracestewards@gmail.com or 0345 833 6736.