THOUSANDS of ducks will be released in Ludlow this month in support of a very good cause.

From 11am on Bank Holiday Monday, May 27, some 2,000 bright yellow plastic ducks will be launched from Dinham Bridge to race down the river Teme.

The duck races are being arranged by Ludlow Rotary Club to raise funds for Ludlow Rotary Cares, the club’s community grants scheme.

Everyone who sponsors a duck for £2 will have the chance of winning £100 if theirs is the first across the winning line.

There will be plenty of opportunity to cheer on the ducks from the banks of the river on the day. The races will also be filmed to watch afterwards on the Ludlow Rotary Club website.

Adrian Carter of Ludlow Rotary said: “Planning a duck race is no mean feat. The ducks have to be corralled into pens of 500 then decanted into boxes of 100. Each box of 100 ducks is then put into numbered bags, checked and double checked to make sure each ticket we sell is allocated to a duck. When all the ducks are sorted, they are stored in bags ready for the big day. Even more challenging will be ensuring that all the ducks are collected and none escape at the end of each race. During this process we expect there to be a lot of laughing, counting and cleaning of ducks – and some of us may even get a little wet.”

Ducks are available to sponsor on line at www.ludlowrotaryclub.org.uk, by using the QR code on the posters displayed around the town, or from the Rotary stall in the market place on Sunday, May 26.