Raising funds for St Marks in the Great River Race

Staff and parents from St Mark’s Primary School in Hanwell have raised over £1300 for the school by taking part in the 21 mile Great River Race

Sophie Liardet, Headteacher and one of six novice crew members, said: ''It was a great occasion, it was hard work and really choppy at times, but we kept working as a team right to the end. We’ve had incredible support from the school community, family and friends.”

Starting on the River Thames at Mudchute, close to Greenwich, the race goes upstream with the tide, finishing at Ham near Richmond. Starting the journey, the small boats pass under Tower Bridge and the riverside sites of Central London including the Shard, St Paul’s and the Houses of Westminster for the 21 miles route, navigating the choppy waves and turbulent waters of the Thames. This year conditions were fair with a mix of sun and cloud, but a strong headwind made progress hard work.

The team of ten – including six race novices – finished the race in just over three and a half hours. Wearing fancy dress wings and halos, St Mark’s were entering a crew for the fourth year and set a new fundraising total.

“It wasn’t our fastest time,” said cox Jeff Bruckner who steered the boat to safety, “but the wind made it really hard going at times. We’d have liked to finish faster, but it just didn’t happen. It’s fantastic to raise so much for the school.”

Over 300 boats took part in this year’s Great River Race, a colourful annual event that takes place every September, with many of the entering crews wearing fancy dress.

30th September 2015