Oar-some weekend in store as Shrewsbury Regatta returns
An oar-some weekend of rowing is to be had over the Coronation bank holiday as a popular event returns.
The Shrewsbury Regatta takes place this Sunday, May 7 and Monday, May 8, and spectators have free entry to watch the racing.
Among the competitors will be rowers from Shrewsbury's Pengwern Boat Club, who have been practicing on the River Severn in Shrewsbury. Teams from up and down the country will be taking to the water in a highly competitive weekend of racing.
Organisers are expecting 1,626 rowers from around 40 different clubs. The oldest rower will be 85 and the youngest will be 11. There will be 530 crews racing in 126 events over the weekend, and for the first time there will be races for disabled rowers. The action is expected to unfold from around 9am on Sunday and from between 9am and 10am.
Michael Ratcliff, from Pengwern Boat Club, said: "It's free of charge and anyone walking along the riverbank can get a grandstand view of the races.
"On the clubhouse side of the river there will be refreshments and the bar will be open. You can take a picnic and enjoy the event.
"You often get boats capsizing or crashing into the bank so there's always something to see going on.
"So far everything is going to plan, we're just hoping for good weather."
The Shrewsbury Regatta is one of the oldest events in the rowing calendar, having first been held in 1871. Races will take place on the River Severn in Shrewsbury between English Bridge and the boathouses opposite the Quarry.
Brewin Dolphin is the event's main sponsor.
