The River Severn in Shrewsbury will be filled with the thrills and spills of world championship coracle racing later this year as a major charity event makes a welcome return.

The Macmillan World Championship Coracle Race, sponsored by JT Hughes Hyundai, will take place on the afternoon of Friday September 16 - and teams are being urged to sign up as soon as possible.

The event see teams of four paddle a traditional coracle boat in a relay race across the river, with the winners being crowned world champions. It raised about £20,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support last year, and organisers are hoping to beat that total this September.

Helen Knight, fundraising manager for Macmillan in Shropshire, said the event was a fun way of helping a really worthwhile cause. She said: “The coracle championships are always one of the highlights of our year and attract hundreds of people to Pengwern Boat Club on the banks of the River Severn. It’s a fun family afternoon, with a barbecue and refreshments providing plenty of energy for people watching the fun on the river.

“Coracles are quite difficult to move quickly through the water which means that we do get a few capsizes but that all just adds to the drama of the racing. Lots of businesses use the event as a great way of doing some team-building and raising money for charity at the same time, so we are hoping for another good turn-out this year.”

Anyone interested in the event can use a special Just Giving page set up to collate everyone’s fundraising efforts at http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/macmillan/world-coracle 
To enter a team, go to the special registration website at http://regevent.co.uk/macmillan-cancer-support or email [email protected]

Macmillan Cancer Support does a huge amount of work in Shropshire to help people living with cancer, and here are some examples of how the £20,000 raised at last year’s coracle race could be spent:

£4,857 could operate the welfare rights element of the Macmillan phone service for a day. In that time, cancer support specialists could, on average, deal with 77 cases and help secure about £198,000 in unclaimed benefits.

£4,418 could pay for a Macmillan nurse for a month, helping people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support.

£3,600 could keep a Macmillan information and support centre stocked with all the information resources it needs to support people affected by cancer for a year.

£3,424 could operate the Macmillan phone service for two hours. In this time, cancer support specialists could answer 96 calls and emails from people who want questions answered, need practical or financial support, or just want to chat.

£2,272 could pay for a Macmillan Cancer Support Worker for a month, helping people living with cancer across the whole pathway receive the support they need.

£822 could pay for a suite of four videos on chemotherapy to be translated into British Sign Language to help people affected by cancer who have hearing loss and use sign language to communicate.

£537 could pay for a Macmillan social worker or family support worker for a week. They work with community and social services agencies to help people manage the social and practical problems of living with cancer.

£270 could pay for a Macmillan Grant that helps a family affected by cancer take a holiday and enjoy some precious time together.