Hundreds of families in Gloucestershire enjoyed a real 'tweet' this weekend, when rubber duck racing came to Pittville Park in Cheltenham, to mark National Rubber Duck Day (Sunday 13th January).

The event, which was organised entirely by volunteers and sponsored by Puddle Ducks Gloucestershire, has so far raised over £2,600 for Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, with donations still coming in.

The fun began at 11am, when the first race was set off by the Mayor of Cheltenham, Councillor Bernard Fisher, followed up by hotly contested races at 11.20am, 11.40am, 12noon and the final race of the day set off by Cheltenham MP, Alex Chalk at 12.20pm.

There was also 'hook a duck' fun, a 'name the duck' competition, an appearance by Puddle Ducks Gloucestershire mascot and grand charity raffle, all raising vital funds for the hospice charity.

There was a fine selection of food and drink for families to enjoy too from The Boathouse Café, The Little Prosecco Van, The Old Dough Hook Pizzas and Woozy Pig, mixed with a dash of family fun entertainment.

Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice volunteer, Paulette Vallois, helped organise the event. She said: "What a fun filled family day. The sun shone, the ducks were all on form and we raised lots of money for the wonderful Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice. I would like to say a huge thank you to Puddle Ducks Gloucestershire for their sponsorship and to our amazing duck race crew for dealing with all the unruly ducks.

"We also had The Cheltenham Lions Club and the Cheltenham Freemasons providing marshalling the day and a wonderful army of volunteers who helped make it all happen and I want to thank them all."

Alysia Cameron Price is Community Fundraising Manager at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice. She said: "Cheltenham is well known for the Cheltenham Races, but from now on we think it will be well known for rubber duck racing too! What a 'quacking' turnout.

"There were hundreds of families having fun raising vital funds, so our Sue Ryder nurses, doctors, care and support teams can be there for local families when it matters. A huge thanks to the volunteer duck race organisers and everyone who supported the event. We're already looking forward to next year!"

For more information on Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice visit www.sueryder.org/leckhamptoncourthospice