A dare he can’t duck out of! A Brinscall dad has pledged that he will get inked with a rubber duck if a duck race raises £1,500 for Derian House Children’s Hospice.
Dads Curtis Lunt, 33, and Daniel Caldwell, 31, will host Brinscall’s first-ever duck race on Sunday 14 July at 2pm at Brinscall Goit – hoping to bring the community together and raise money for their local hospice.
It’s just £2 to sponsor a duck, and the winners of the quackers race could win up to £100 if their duck comes in first place, with £70 for second place, £30 for third place, and an abundance of small prizes for runners up.
Tickets can be bought on the Brinscall duck race website, or in Brinscall at The Cricketers Arms, The Cottage Tea Room, Murphy’s Fish and Chips or alternatively at the Hare and Hounds, in Abbey Village, The Red Lion, in Wheelton, or Frederick’s Ice Cream in Chorley.
The winners of the duck race will be announced at the Cricketers Arms, in Brinscall, with a fun-packed evening of music, food, face painting and a bouncy castle.
However, Daniel has ruffled some feathers after daring fellow organiser, Curtis, to get a rubber duck tattoo if the fundraiser hits its target.
“It was briefly mentioned that I should get a rubber duck tattoo if we hit our target, but then Dan told the world on social media 10 minutes later!” Said Curtis, of Brinscall.
“So there was no backing out. If we raise enough money to hit our target, I will get a duck tattoo. But, on one condition. Daniel will have to do something equally ridiculous for next year’s duck race for Derian House.
“What Derian House does is remarkable, we went to visit and it’s such a lovely place. It needs these type of events to carry on doing the fantastic work it does. We are glad to play a small part in raising what we can to help support.”
Curtis’s friend Daniel shared the dare to the Brinscall Duck Race Facebook page, which was seen by its 200 followers, and boosted ticket sales to almost £500.
“A few people are hoping Curtis will get the tattoo on his head,” laughed Daniel.
“Someone said they would pay for 400 ducks if he does! We’ll just have to see what happens if the duck race raises £1,500.”
The dad duo hope to make Brinscall duck race an annual event to raise money for Derian House Children’s Hospice, in Astley village.
“We came up with the idea for a duck race when we decided to have one with our daughters, who are five and six – they loved it. So we thought, why not do it for charity? We pulled together a team of friends, who we are calling Duck HQ, and got to work.
“Derian House is a local charity that we have supported before. When we went for a tour there, it was incredibly humbling. Learning about the Sunflower Rooms where children can lie at rest was just something else. The fact that they can provide these services for families who need it. I think having children ourselves makes it more important to raise money for a charity like Derian. It’s such an amazing place and it’s all about making precious memories.”
Tickets for the Brinscall duck race can be purchased on the event website https://brinscallduckrace.co.uk/, or by contacting brinscallduckrace@outlook.com
Ann Marie Fishwick, Community Fundraiser at Derian House, said: “”We’re absolutely quackers about the support from Curtis and Daniel. The Brinscall duck race will not only raise vital funds for our families, but will raise awareness of what we do here at Derian House too.
“Care is free to families at Derian House, but it will cost £6million to run the hospice this year. We rely on our kind-hearted supporters to raise 70p in every £1 as we only receive a small amount of funding from the government.”
Derian House Children’s Hospice, based in Chorley, Lancashire, cares for more than 400 babies, children, young people and their families from across the North West, helping them to make the most of every moment. Find out more: www.derianhouse.co.uk
