Bradshaw: Residents turn out for annual duck race

The Rotary Club of Turton held its popular event at Bradshaw Brook on Sunday morning in aid of charities including the Bolton Mountain Rescue Team.

The club has been holding the race for more than 30 years, and this year featured a main race and a children’s race that youngsters could take part in for free.

The Rotary Club of Turton held its annual duck race this weekend (Image: Newsquest)

This was the second race the club has held following a brief hiatus during the Covid-19 pandemic, and people of all ages turned out to see which duck would make it to the finish line first.

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Dennis Cortez, president of the Rotary Club of Turton, said the event had seen “a great turnout” despite some cloudy weather and showers.

“The purpose of this is to help communities around Bolton and to help them to raise money, I think we are the main charity that gives money to other charities.

Many residents turned out to watch the duck race (Image: Newsquest)

“We enable the charities and organisation to raise money and all the money we raise from the ticket sales of this duck race they can keep it for them.”

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Thanks to a number of corporate sponsors, including Thornton & Lowe, Toyota Bolton and Raymond James, the person with the winning duck receives a prize of £1,000.

Dennis added: “We are just so lucky that we have so many generous people around devoting their time, they just want to make a difference to the people around us.”

Rotary Club members at the duck race (Image: Newsquest)

Those wishing to sponsor a duck could do so for £1, and Dennis added that 20,000 tickets had been sold.

It costs more than £50,000 a year to run the team, money which is raised through donations.

Supporters who have a few hours a month to spare are being asked to help out with supermarket collections, villager fairs and other fundraising activities.