A national housebuilder, currently building in Monmouth, is not just sponsoring the Monmouth Raft Race 2017 but has entered five rafts into the challenging event.

Barratt David Wilson Homes BDW South Wales, which is building new homes at Kingswood Gate, Monmouth, put their toe in the water last year for the event and this year will have as many as 30 of their people on the water.

Steve Williams, managing director of BDW Homes South Wales, said: “As a business we are working locally and it is nice to help support a local charity and put something back into the community.

“We are aware of the work that St David’s Hospice Care does with cancer patients and those other life limiting conditions and as a cancer seems to touch everyone in some way or another we are very keen to support this event.

“The raft race is a challenging event and also very good fun when entered into in the right spirit and enjoyable to take part in and raise money for a worthy charity.

“We will have five rafts in the event this year which, with an average of six people per raft means we’ll have probably 30 people in total on the river.

“We had a brilliant time last year. It was also a good team building event, not just for the staff at BDW South Wales but with family members and friends joining us on the day, to cheer us along and then enjoying a get together in the marquee to enjoy food and refreshments afterwards.”

Organisers Monmouth Rotary Club, who have staged the annual River Wye Raft race for the past 15 years, will once more raise funds for St David’s Hospice Care through its staging of the 52nd Monmouth Raft Race, which will take place on September 3.

Rotary president Roger Finn said: “We are extremely grateful to BDW South Wales for signing up as sponsors for the Monmouth Raft Race and also entering rafts into this year’s event.”

Emma Saysell, chief executive of St David’s Hospice Care, said: “The continued support we get from Monmouth Rotary Club and our sponsors is truly amazing and important to us especially as our commitments have now been considerably increased with the opening this year of the new 15-bed in patient centre in Malpas.”

The main sponsors of this year’s raft race are BDW South Wales, Mandarin Stone and Tiny Rebel. Award sponsors are Siltbuster, Jolly Clothing, Harrison Clark Rickerby Solicitors, and EE Monmouth. Further awards sponsorship opportunities remain available, as are stalls at the Family Festival at the finish.

The annual event sees teams of four or more build rafts and then paddle them 6.5 miles down the River Wye from the rowing club steps at Monmouth to Whitebrook.

Entry is £75 per raft including a commitment to raise a minimum of £100 in sponsorship. For full details visit www.monmouthraftrace.com.