Some light drizzle failed to put a damper on Tayinloan’s second annual duck race as it raised more than £4,000 for the village’s youth club.
Replicating the success of the inaugural event, last Saturday’s was a sell-out, with more than a hundred holiday-makers and people from across Argyll joining villagers to watch as 470 yellow rubber duckies bob down Tayinloan Burn.
It was fun for all the family with people of all ages lining the bridges over the burn and racing down the road alongside trying to keep up with the ducks as they raced toward the finish line – with ‘duck shepherds’ Sean Harvey and Logan O’Hanlon in the water in their waders ready to rescue any that got stuck along the route.
Thanks to amazing support from many local businesses and members of the community, there was a wide range of prizes to choose from for the first 24 ducks across the finish line.
These included £100 and £50 cash prizes, original paintings, overnight holiday accommodation and camping stays, designer sunglasses, firewood, hampers, vouchers for meals, a car valet, ferry travel and bike hire, and much more, as well as additional prizes for the last duck home and one lucky duck chosen at random.
The winners of all prizes were announced in Tayinloan Village Hall after the race, where an buffet lunch, raffle and additional games including lucky squares, guess the number of sweets in the jar and, new for this year, hook a duck game ‘Bucks for Ducks’ also proved popular.
Organisers say they were overwhelmed by the level of support of the community and turnout on the day and apologise to those who didn’t manage to get a seat in the hall.
This year’s duck race was organised to raise money for Tayinloan Youth Club, which meets once a week in the village hall, offering a safe space for youngsters from across West Kintyre to enjoy fun and educational activities.
To ensure the club remains accessible to all young people in the area, it does not charge any fees, meaning the organisation relies entirely on volunteers, fundraising and grants to operate.
A youth club spokesperson said: “We would like to sincerely thank everyone involved in making the second Tayinloan duck race another successful event.
“Between the sale of ducks and the event on the day, with a few very generous added donations, we raised an incredible £4,261, which is more than we ever thought possible.
“We are very grateful to the following businesses and individuals for their donations of prizes and raffles, as without their generosity such an event couldn’t happen: Glen Scotia Distillery, Mowi, Joseph Loganbill, Glenbarr Stores, Byers Contractors, Marilyn Shedden, Maggie Young, Karen Goodchild, Number Forty Two, Robert Westerman, A G Barr Optometrists, Kintyre Firewood, CalMac, Campbeltown Motor Company, Gigha Boats & Activity Centre, Killegruer Caravan Site, The Wild Chameleon, The Nook/Ardminish Stores, Wee Isle Cafe, Big Jessie’s, Muasdale Stores, Bakkafrost, Beinn an Tuirc Distillers, Co-op Campbeltown, Emma Byers, The Gather, Olly’s Street Food, Hannah O’Hanlon, Tesco Campbeltown, Trash Panda Crafts, Rebecca Harvey, Versatile, Campbeltown Picture House, The Courier Centre, Helen Gilchrist, Whitehill Nest, Jim Martin Supplies and Claire Mitchell/Campbeltown and District Juvenile Football Association.
“We would like to thank all parents, family members and friends who helped on the day and provided food for the buffet, as well as Warren Harvey, Sean Harvey and Logan O’Hanlon, for their hard work in the burn on the day, and Rebecca Harvey for her window display at The Courier Centre and for help with selling ducks and organising the event.
“Thanks also to Will Anderson-Jones at Muasdale Stores for selling ducks for us and to Caeleigh Kean from Hugs of Argyll for bringing Huggy and Fudge, the ponies, along for the day to meet the boys and girls in the playing field.”
The spokesperson added: “A huge amount of appreciation goes to Helen Gilchrist, who provided us with a great amount of support, between selling ducks via her Jolly Monday Show Facebook page, her generous donation to our raffle table and for raising an extra £300 for us by doing a football card.
“Another person who we sincerely thank is piper Charles Maclean, who you may not have recognised on the day, as he really entered into the spirit of the occasion by donning his duck costume, for piping us to the start of the race. We think this was an amazing way to start the day and appreciate him coming up from Campbeltown to do that for us.
“Finally, our thanks to Marilyn Shedden for everything she has done for us and for keeping things running smoothly on the day.”
Organisers are already gathering their thoughts – after collecting all 470 ducks – to hatch a plan to make the 2025 race even better.
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