A RAFT race pushed the boat out again, by raising a bumper £21,734 for charity.

Seventy five per cent of the cash raised from Monmouth Raft Race has been presented to St David’s Hospice, while the rest is supporting other good causes.

Accepting a cheque for £16,300 just before Christmas, St David’s chief executive Emma Saysell said the hospice had formed a unique relationship with race organisers Monmouth Rotary.

“The support we receive from Monmouth Rotary is very, very special. The partnership we have forged over the past years is quite unique.”

Monmouth Rotary members visited the Newport-based hospice last month to present the money and learn more about the work of the charity.

And Mrs Saysell welcomed the news that the organisation would again be raising money for St David’s Hospice Care through this year’s staging of the 54th raft race on Sunday, September 1.

“The annual Monmouth Raft Race is wonderful for the mo- ney it provides for the charity and the way in which it helps raise our profile, puts a spotlight on the care we provide and other work that we do and also that of Monmouth Rotary,” she added.

“The support that Monmouth Rotary provides is truly amazing,” she said.

“We really couldn’t do the work that we do in the community without your support and similar support we receive from businesses, fundraisers and other organisations,” she told them.

Mrs Saysell, explaining the work the charity does both in the new in-patient unit, at the four-day hospices and in the community, said: “At any one time, over the two-week festive period for example, 1,100 people will be being cared for in their homes, free of charge, by St David’s Hospice Care nurses.”

Monmouth Rotary president Patrick Chatterton said: “Monmouth Rotary are delighted to be able to continue to demonstrate our unique bond with St David’s Hospice Care.

“Staging the annual Monmouth Raft Race is hard work, but well worth the effort when you see the enjoyment it brings to the teams that enter, the people at the start, finish and along the route, and the amount of money raised for St David’s Hospice Care and other charities.

“We’re proud to have been able to donate such a marvellous sum of money to St David’s Hospice Care from this year’s event, to help them to continue to provide vital hospice and related services to those suffering life-threatening illnesses throughout our community.”

This year’s 69-boat race was a battle of the paddles from Monmouth Rowing Club to Whitebrook, as a World War 1 tank fought it out with Viking ships and Gangsters and Molls down a shallow River Wye.

Main sponsors for the 2018 Monmouth Raft Race were David Wilson Homes, who are building the new housing development at Kingswood Gate in Monmouth, and Mandarin Stone.

Siltbuster Ltd of Monmouth, Harrison Clark Rickerby’s solicitors from Ross-on-Wye, and Jolly Clothing of Monmouth, also each sponsored an award.

Mr Chatterton said: “Sponsors are a vital part of the whole event as the more money we raise through corporate sponsorship to cover the organisational costs means that Monmouth Rotary is then able to make a larger donation to charity.”

Entry for the Sunday, September 1, race costs £75 per raft including a commitment to raise a minimum of £100 in sponsorship, with an early bird discount.