Organisers’ plea for help to save prestigious regatta

ORGANISERS of one of the UK's oldest and most prestigious rowing regattas are asking for donations to keep the event alive.

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For the last 159 years the Molesey Regatta has brought the riverbank to life, in a celebration of one of the area’s most traditional sports. But poor weather and cancellations over several years have left the event in peril.

The Regatta consists of two events. Head Races take place in winter, while a family festival takes place in July.

However, rain and river flow mean that the first of those has struggled to go ahead, and has been cancelled the past three years.

Regatta secretary Fiona Wood said: “Because the conditions have been so bad, we have lost all the entries. We've lost about 15 grand each head, so that’s 45 grand over three years.”