Trent Rowing Club is set to host a duck race fundraising event on the River Trent to support the building of a much-needed new boat barn – and it is appealing to local businesses for help
Taking place on Saturday 4th April 2026 between 10am and 2pm will be The Trent Duck Race, where sponsored ducks will race down the River Trent as a family-friendly event hosted by Trent Rowing Club. The event will begin in Stapenhill Gardens and finish at Trent Rowing Club Boathouse, with refreshments available and opportunities to meet club volunteers.
Trent Rowing Club was founded in 1863 and is one of Burton’s oldest sporting institutions, entirely run by volunteers. Rowing continues to see growing popularity in the local area, which means the existing facilities are now at capacity, and this unfortunately limits the number of young people and families who can take part.
The duck race event will aim to raise funds needed to help build a new boat barn and training space, so the club can increase access to rowing and community sport opportunities across Burton.
Notably, the fundraising campaign has received a major boost after securing conditional match funding of up to £15,000 from the Sport England Movement Fund, which means every pound raised through the duck race and Crowdfunder could be doubled.
This necessary fundraising initiative is being backed by Ask the Chameleon, a specialist procurement consultancy founded and led by Rachel Hayward, who is supporting the campaign in memory of her late father, John Hayward, former President of Trent Rowing Club for more than 35 years and a well-known Burton businessman. John was very passionate about the value of sport, community, and helping others where he could. In his honour, Rachel’s support of the rowing club reflects the contribution that John would have made himself had he still been here.
Rachel said: “Securing Sport England match funding is a huge vote of confidence in what the club is trying to achieve. This is about investing in opportunity, community and long-term impact and ensuring my dad’s legacy of opening doors for young people continues. Rowing meant a great deal to him and he believed in doing what you could to support your community.”
Local businesses are invited to get involved with the event through an individual or Corporate Duck sponsorship, which offers a visible and fun way to support grassroots sport while helping unlock national match funding.
For more information about the fundraiser and entry details, please visit https://crowdfunder.co.uk/p/ducks-in-a-row.