Needham Market Raft Race attracts hundreds of spectators
Ten raft teams paddled for victory at a raft race on Needham Lake.
The Needham Market Raft Race originated as part of the 2002 Golden Jubilee celebrations and has been a staple event for Needham Market ever since.
After a two year hiatus due to Covid, the rafts were back in the water on Sunday for Her Majesty’s Platinum celebrations with hundreds of spectators.
Jean Pittaway, raft race committee chairman, felt surprised and honoured that so many attended, despite the miserable weather.
She said: “We were all really happy to bring the community together for the day, it’s honestly quite hard to describe how good it feels to be back.”
She added: “I’m really quite touched by how the fantastic team of volunteers managed to put everything together. I’m really proud of the team and would like to thank them for everything they do.”
Most raft teams also sported fabulous fancy dress.
This year’s highlights included the Royal Rampant team who dressed as tequila bottles, the Blazing Buccaneer team that wore pirate attire and the Scaramando team who donned matching umbrella hats.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Boat) took home the prize for best dressed with their satirical theme.
Other winning raft teams included Travis Perkins, Boatylicious and Taipain Crown.
A lot of the raft teams were also fundraising at the event.
This year, raft team BYOB raised over £500 for ‘Stowmarket and Area Foodbank’ and over the 20 year period, the Raft Race Committee has raised a total of over £6000 for charity.
