Conquer the current at the Mallow S & R river raft run
A FLOTILLA of weird and wonderful craft will attempt to ‘conquer the current’ on Sunday, September 10 when they take to the River Blackwater for the annual Mallow Search & Rescue fundraising raft run.
Those magnificent men and women in their floating machines will once again take on a seven-mile stretch of the River Blackwater from Mallow Bridge to Killvullen in order to help raise essential funds for the unit.
Unit spokesman and founding member John Woulfe said they decided to move the event from its traditional date in March in the hope that participants will encounter more clement weather.
“As people can imagine the river temperature can be quite cold in March and the weather can make the water flow unpredictable. We are hoping that the weather will be better next month and that will help attract more people to take the plunge,” said John.
Run on an entirely voluntary bases, the unit travels the length and breadth of the country each year assisting in search and recovery missions at the request of emergency services and affected families.
However, as they receive no statutory government funding, events such as the raft run are an important vehicle for raising money for travel expenses, ongoing training and the cost of updating and purchasing life-saving equipment.
Mr Woulfe said that these costs can run to up to €60,000 per annum.
“On average, we get tasked to up to 30 search missions each year. Our annual fuel bill alone can run to €10,000 and we do not even get the VAT back on that,” he said.
With the 2017 run just a matter of weeks away, Mr Woulfe urged people to start planning their designs, get together the materials for their rafts and get their crew rosters together.
“Last year we had more than 200 people take part in the run on almost 40 different raft, raising more than €9,000 in the process. With the change of date we are hoping that more people will take part and we can equal and even surpass that amount this year,” he said.
“On behalf of the unit I would like to thank those who participate every year and hope that we see them, along with some new rafters, this year. Even if you can not take part, come along and enjoy the spectacle and donate a few bob,” he added.
“It really is a brilliant day out in aid of a great cause, so come along and enjoy the fun. If you can’t tale part, feel free to come along on the day and donate a few bob,” he added.
Entry forms and sponsorship cards will be available shortly with more details about the raft run set to be posted on the Mallow Search & Rescue Facebook page over the coming days.