RESIDENTS in Bratton enjoyed this year’s Duck Race and braved the unpleasant weather to raise nearly £400 for St James Church and the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

The event, which sees villagers come together to race 300 rubber ducks down the stream at Stradbrook, has been running for nearly 10 years and was initiated by Bernard Cooper, better known in the village as ‘The Duckmeister'

Young and old left the comfort of their own homes to cheer on their ducks down the stream as they watched on in the rain.

Organiser Ian Humphrey said: “It went very well, we had a good number of people and all of the ducks were sold.

“We held the event a bit earlier than usual this year which meant there was more water in the stream than usual, which made for a very exciting race.

“Of the 300 ducks that started the race, 296 completed the course, but four sadly escaped under the duck-stop, never to be seen again.”

The money raised will be divided between the village’s church and the Air Ambulance.

Bratton crier Ray Davis said: “I’ve been kicking off proceedings at the Duck Race for a number of years now.

“It’s a fantastic little event which is always very well attended and enjoyed by all. We need events like this to keep the community together.

“Well done to the organisers for putting on a good show despite the weather.”