Matlock Bath raft race returns after three-year gap

An annual Boxing Day raft race returns following a three-year gap, after being cancelled twice due to Covid and flooding.

Matlock Bath's annual raft event takes place along a 3.5 mile (5.6km) stretch of the River Derwent in Derbyshire.

Organisers said they were hoping to get 30-40 teams taking part in the event, which is in its 60th year.

The annual event raises money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Head organiser Stephen Eyre said: "It's one of the biggest events in Matlock and it raises a lot of money so it's a good thing it's back.

"It's very popular and we've had between 7-8,000 people watching pre-Covid so we're hoping we get a lot of spectators and rafters taking part."

Although the event, which is organised by volunteers from the Derbyshire Association of Sub Aqua Clubs, is believed to have run since 1961, Mr Eyre said there was some evidence that suggested it dated even further back, to the early 20th Century.

Competitors vie to make their rafts as eye-catching as possible, with replica fire engines, submarines and the shell of a Mini having sailed down the river.

People planning to watch have been urged not to throw flour-filled bags at competitors.

In the past, racers in the 26 December spectacle have been pelted with eggs and bags filled with flour but the Environment Agency has said the plastic and paper bags pose a danger to wildlife in the water.

It has joined organisers in asking spectators to watch without throwing.

The event was cancelled in 2019 due to post-flooding debris in the water and again in 2020 because of Covid restrictions.

Paul Reeves, officer at the Environment Agency, said: "Whilst we are happy for the event to go ahead, we are strongly encouraging spectators to enjoy it without endangering the environment."

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