Tug of war at Rearsby pulls in cash for charity

Hundreds of spectators gathered to watch Rearsby's knockout tug-of-war contest and annual duck race.
By The Newsroom
Published 15th Jan 2018, 12:30 BST
The Horse and Groom team in action PHOTO: Lionel HeapThe Horse and Groom team in action PHOTO: Lionel Heap
The Horse and Groom team in action PHOTO: Lionel Heap

Because of a torrential downpour the night before, causing the brook in the village centre to swell, the competitions were far more entertaining than usual.

Steve Warn, who organises the events, said: “It was a great day with sunny, blue skies and we had about 200 people and probably raised around £1,000 for the LOROS Hospice, which is a very good amount.

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“We had quite a lot of rain and it brought the brook up to about two feet above what it normally is, so it was rushing along quite quickly and we had to be careful to stop people from going in.”

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Villagers cheer on the winning ducks as they race along the Rearsby Brook PHOTO: Lionel HeapVillagers cheer on the winning ducks as they race along the Rearsby Brook PHOTO: Lionel Heap
Villagers cheer on the winning ducks as they race along the Rearsby Brook PHOTO: Lionel Heap

Among the eight tug-of-war teams to join in the fun this year were two ladies teams. There was also a match for children under 10.

The team which prevailed on the day and were crowned champions were The East Goscote Tuggers.

The tradition began in the early 1960s when rival teams from The Wheel Inn and The Horse and Groom tried to pull each other into the brook.

The duck race was marshalled by Milan Velji of The Wheel. The speedy affair featured 300 plastic ducks which all had numbers on. The first 10 over the finish line won their owners a prize.