VOLUNTEERS splashing around at Coate Water raised more than £13,000 in this year’s Dragon Boat Race and the cheques were presented to sponsored charities this month.

On Wednesday, £13,701.81 was handed over by the Rotary Club to the charities supported in this summer’s annual event, including Swindon Epilepsy Group and Clic Sargent.

Other charities to benefit were: Prospect Hospice, Swindon Guide Dogs, Thamesdown Hydrotherapy Pool, Cancer Research UK, Help 4 Heroes, British Heart Foundation, National Autistic Society, We are MacMillan, Animal Asia, Royal Harefield & Brompton Hospital, Ovarian Cancer UK, Prostate Cancer UK, Whizz-Kids, Wiltshire Air Ambulance and The Motor Neurone Disease Association.

This year’s race saw a close finish for first place between the Corsair Pirates and the Silverbacks, a 17-strong team made up predominantly of Nationwide employees.

After the event David Coe, president, of the Rotary Club of Swindon Phoenix, said: “It’s all about giving people fun and bringing charities together with the community.

“The whole idea is to provide an event for the people of Swindon to enjoy whilst giving some exposure to the town’s charities.

“We want to see smiles on faces and generate a bit of competition.

“It’s the third year now and some of our regular teams are building some rivalries.

“Those competitive streaks add to the tension of the afternoon, but it’s all done in the right spirit.”

People can now enter next year’s race, which will take place on June 26 at Coate Water, for an early-bird deposit of £20 per team.

The full cost of team entry is £550 for a maximum team size of 20, payable by May 31.

To find out more visit www.swindondragonboat.org.uk.