ORGANISERS of the Lechlade Duck Race on May Bank Holiday Monday were overjoyed to announce that a total of £16,500 was raised through the event.

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Matthew Pinsent launched the race, which saw more than 4,000 plastic ducks catapulted into the river from Halfpenny Bridge.

Event organiser Sgt Ali Hedworth said: "The public support on the day was completely unprecedented. We had hoped for around 2,000 people and our best estimate is that around 6,000 people came along.

"This huge turnout presented us with some parking and traffic issues which we worked very hard to cope with on the day," he added.

"The fantastic support we received from both the general public and the local community meant that we raised a huge sum for our charities.

"We would like to thank everyone who supported this event in it's first year and now that we know the possible scale of this event we will be able to plan our logistics on a much grander scale for next year's event.

"We hope to see you at another successful Lechlade Duck Race next year."

The event, which took place on Monday, May 5, was in aid of the Royal Air Forces Association and the Cotswold Water Park Trust.