The Quays Duck Race returns this Easter

The Quays Duck Race returns this Easter to raise money for children’s health charity MedEquip4Kids. We talk to the charity’s Hayden Cowap to find out more:

Great to hear the duck race is back after a two year gap. For those who haven’t been previously can you explain a little bit about what happens on the day?

Hayden: “This will be our 7th duck race we’ve had at Salford Quays, and it’s a great day out for all the family. The day starts just after one o’clock when people will be able to purchase their ‘ducklings’ and also enjoy the wonderful stalls put on by local businesses, you can enjoy delicious burgers, cakes, coffee and ice cream, while the children can enjoy having their face painted or having a go on the fairground rides we have there.

“Then the fun really starts with the two duck races we have on the day. We will be holding the business ‘Mega Duck’ race at 4pm, and then the community ‘duckling’ race at 4:30pm. The local fire brigade will be there to help create a current in the water with their hoses to make the ducks travel forward.

“There will be prizes handed out for the lucky 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners of the community ‘duckling’ race which includes a year’s supply of Irn-Bru, two tickets to the Lowry Theatre to enjoy their Christmas production ‘Wendy & Peter Pan’, and a cocktail master class for 4 people!”

How many ducks are you expecting on the day?

Hayden: “For the business duck race we will have 26 ‘Mega Ducks’ taking part. The most ducks we’ve ever sold for the community duck race has been 1,200, and we’re hoping for that many this year too!”

How can people get involved?

Hayden: “People can go online to our ticket website to book in advance their duckling tickets and our friendly team will email them with their duckling number.

“Or people can show up on the day from 1pm at the Helly Hansen Watersports Centre, 15 The Quays, Salford, M50 3SQ to purchase their duckling.

“We advise people to purchase online before the duck race because there is often a large queue on the day and we may run out of ducklings!”

Why are events like this so important to MedEquip4Kids?

Hayden: “Events like these are vitally important for our charity, they are a fantastic way to not only raise awareness of our cause to our local community, but also raise much needed funds so our charity can continue to carry out it’s work of supplying equipment to hospitals which would otherwise not be available due to lack of NHS funds. In the past two years our duck race has not been able to go ahead due to COVID19 lockdown measures and rules on crowds, so we’re so happy we can put this event on again to support our projects.”

What specific projects will money from the event help to fund?

Hayden: “Money raised from this event and all events MedEquip4Kids puts on are used where they are needed the most, as decided by our project committee. An example of some of the projects we have at the moment include supplying Tameside General Hospital with neonatal and children’s medical equipment including: blood pressure monitors, patient monitors and cots for new born babies”.

Any racing tips for how to pick the fastest duck on the day?

Hayden: “All of our ducklings are the same, so no one has an overall advantageThe only tip we have is to have luck on your side, and of course come along to give them a cheer!”