Your LOCAL Charity

The Big Duck Race

Sunday 30th June 2024 at Staines-upon-Thames Day

Winner of the 2023 best designed duck sponsored by Design Incorporated is Staines Community Centre. Second was Elvis from Paul on behalf of https://thepenroseclub.com/ and third was https://www.team-spirits.co.uk. The winner of the race was also from Team Spirits. Well done

What’s it all about?

This is our Flagship Event. As well as raising funds, it also raises awareness in the community of how we help local needy people.

Of course, it’s also about winning the prize for the best decorated duck and about winning the race!

The event is aimed at local businesses. We invite them to buy a duck, to be innovative and to have fun decorating it and for larger companies to buy a flock of ducks, maybe run a internal competition or a team building exercise. We aim to secure as much local and social media publicity for our entrants as we possibly can.

It’s about having 100s of wonderfully decorated ducks on display at the start and competing in the race. It’s quite a spectacle!

Big Duck Race sponsored by

Best Designed Duck sponsored by

When & where

Starting in Church Street the ducks race down the River Colne and into the Thames with the finishing line at the Memorial Gardens. Race starts at 2pm. Please deliver your decorated duck from by Midday on the day to the start (outside Church House, Church Street Staines TW18 4EP). If you can’t deliver please contact us by 17th June to arrange collection.

Get involved

Buying your duck

Please buy a duck for the race. They are just £50 which, of course, is tax deducktable! The duck is yours to keep and enter next year. The re-entry price is £25.

Schools & Registered Charities pay just £25. Decorate your duck in your charity or school colours, your favourite team or with an interesting theme. The re-entry price is £15.

See how to make money for your charity or school.

How to enter

Simply complete the online entry form and return it to info@midasplus.org.uk and choose your preferred method of payment. Let us know and we will deliver locally.

Prizes

Duck Race Winner

£350

Sponsored by

Best Duck Design

1st £250

2nd £100

3rd £50

Sponsored by

Send us a photo of your duck and we will post it on Facebook.

  1. The event will be organised by the trustees and helpers of MidasPlus Fundraising.
  2. Large plastic ducks will be floated down the River Colne, commencing from around Two Rivers (actual location to be confirmed) and continuing on into the River Thames and finishing at the Memorial Gardens. The start time will be on the MidasPlus website.
  3. People and organisations will be given the opportunity to purchase a large pre-numbered plastic duck for £50 and to decorate it if so desired and to enter it into the race. The duck remains their property, before, after and for the duration of the race.
  4. It will be the responsibility of the duck owner/s to ensure that their duck is delivered to the race organisers on the day of the race, to a place and by a time designated by the race organisers, for it to be entered in the race.
  5. The organisers are not responsible for any duck that misses entry into the race for any reason.
  6. The organiser will not be held responsible for any damage to either ducks or the decorative aspects of the ducks.
  7. It will be the responsibility of the duck owner/s to ensure that their duck is collected from the race organisers after the finish of the race, at a place and by a time designated by the race organisers.
  8. A prize will be awarded to the duck that floats down the river and reaches the finishing point first. The prize is a donation of £250 to the duck owner. If this is donated to a local charity, MidasPlus will donate an additional £100 to the owner’s  chosen local charity.
  9. This is an event aimed at raising money for charity. Those buying and entering ducks need to accept that while the organisers will endeavour to ensure a fair race, there are a number of circumstances in which an element of luck will favour a winning duck or adversely affect other ducks. In particular:
    1. The organisers will endeavour to place all the ducks in the water at or about the same time and place; however if a duck fails to enter the water appropriately it may have a reduced chance.
    2. Ducks may be carried by the current into the bank or another obstruction.
    3. If a group of ducks arrive at the finish together, it may be necessary to select a winner and ignore similarly placed ducks.
    4. Should there be very little flow on the river or should there be a strong wind the organisers may need to assist some or all of the ducks to proceed to the finish or terminate the race prior to the planned finishing point.
    5. The organisers have sold ducks that are of the same size and shape. If however, ducks are different, they may display different characteristics and move at different speeds.
    6. There may be other unforeseen circumstances.
  10. In unforeseen circumstances the starting or finishing point, time and/or date could be changed.
  11. In exceptional circumstances it may not be possible to stage the race on the river. In that case a draw will be conducted to ascertain the winners.
  12. Although ducks may be decorated, the organisers may disqualify any duck that is interfered with by anyone particularly if this creates a competitive advantage, or for any other reason at their discretion. Any duck where the allocated number is not clearly visible on the underside of the duck will be disqualified. Any duck that is decorated using unsuitable paint or other materials may be disqualified. We suggest you use Acrylic paints.
  13. The organisers will try to contact the winning owner/s. The names of the winner/winning organisation will be placed on the MidasPlus website, www.keyfutures.uk and will be submitted to the local press.
  14. The trustees of MidasPlus Fundraising will make other decisions concerning the race and the dispersal of funds.
  15. MidasPlus reserves the right to deduct the costs of purchasing the ducks and expenses. Any disputes can be referred to the Trustees of MidasPlus Fundraising. Their decisions are final.
  16. MidasPlus Fundraising has registered with Spelthorne Council for this event, which will be conducted in accordance with the rules set out by the Council.
When is the race?

The last Sunday in June at 2pm

Where is the race being held?

A Starting in Two Rivers and finishing on the River Thames at the Memorial Gardens, Staines upon Thames

How much is the duck?

Each duck is £50.00; this gives you the duck to keep and the opportunity to enter it into next year’s Staines Duck Race for £25 on the last Sunday in June

How do we order & pay for the duck?

Please complete the online entry form. Payment is due 7 days prior to the race. Please go to this page for payment details

Will our payment be receipted?

Yes, if requested; receipts will be sent to the company address once payment is cleared

How do we receive our duck?

We will contact you to agree arrangements for you to receive your duck

Can we decorate our duck?

Yes, we’d love you to, with your logos, colours, anything fun, but remember to bear in mind that you will want your duck to float and that it will be rocking and knocking against all the other ducks in the race as well as contending with the swift currents of the Thames. See our website for examples of decorated ducks and advice on decorating your duck or drop into Hobbycraft, Two Rivers Retail Park Staines-upon-Thames TW18 4WB

Can we choose the number of our duck?

No, sorry, unfortunately we are not equipped to facilitate this request. Ducks are already pre-numbered and can only be issued in random order; your number will be recorded on your receipt of duck docket

How does our duck get into the race?

It is your responsibility to ensure that the duck is at the race starting point 2 hours prior to the start of the race. The drop off point is in Church Street, Staines. If you are unable to do this arrangements must be made with MidasPlus to deliver the duck to the race starting point

What are the prizes?

Winning duck owner receives £300. We are happy to arrange a press photo shoot of the winner with their winning duck with the local news and publicise on Facebook.

How are the winners notified?

The winner will be announced in the local press and on the MidasPlus website and the winner’s nominated contact will be emailed confirmation of the win

What happens after the race, how do we get our duck back?

MidasPlus does not have the facilities to store everyone’s duck long term so ducks will be returned to you in one of the following ways:

  • On the day, allowing us sufficient time to recover them all from the river, we would ask that a previously authorised person collect it from us at a designated location, to be advised prior to the race.
  • By arrangement with MidasPlus

With a new award for Best Designed Duck, there are even more reasons to get creative. Nick Bennett, Designer at Design Incorporated, provides his top ten tips to ensure your duck is well designed.

Plan your design in advance. Draw out some designs in advance to make sure you are happy with the creative route. This will also help you work out what materials you will need.

Get noticed. A colourful duck gets noticed more than the standard yellow, so get out the paintbrushes and create a masterpiece of colour. Please be sure to use waterproof or acrylic paint.

Change the entire colour of your duck. Or simply add some multi-coloured patterns, words, symbols or even paint your company logo onto the duck.

Take your time. A carefully designed duck will beat a rushed design every time.

The more decoration, the merrier. Place dots of glue and add jewellery, fake gems, feathers or glitter and make your duck stand out. Make sure you shake off any excess glitter after the glue has dried.

Give your duck an outfit. Turn your duck into a superhero by adding a cape. Or add a tie and glasses to create a businessman look. Or a leather jacket. Or add a hat, a crown or policeman’s helmet.

Don’t forget hair and makeup. Make your duck look faaaabbbulouuuuus!

Add attachments. Anything goes (other than outboard motors!) so get creative – turn the duck into an aeroplane, a helicopter, a furry gorilla, whatever.

Keep it light. Every entry is up for an award but make sure your decorations and attachments are not too heavy. We don’t want your duck to sink as soon as it goes in the water.

Share the fun. Ask your friends, colleagues or family to help and make it a joint venture.