https://www.jthughes.co.uk/Blog/View/Paddle-power-for-a-great-cause-join-us-at-the-2025-Macmillan-World-Championship-Coracle-Race/12864
Paddle power for a great cause – join us at the 2025 Macmillan World Championship Coracle Race!
John Harrison - Macmillan Relationship Fundraising Manager- West Midlands. (Left) Jayney Davies, Coracle Committee Chair (Centre). John Hughes - Chairman, JT Hughes Group (Right)
As a valued owner of a Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Kia, KGM or Isuzu supplied and serviced by the JT Hughes Group, we wanted you to be the first to hear that we are again headline sponsor of Shropshire’s delightfully quirky boat-race charity event, the Macmillan World Championship Coracle Race.
On Friday 12 September 2025, dozens of four‑person teams will hop into fragile‑looking, round coracle boats and paddle relay‑style across the River Severn at Shrewsbury’s Pengwern Boat Club.
Laughter, the odd capsize, and fierce‑but‑friendly competition are guaranteed – all to raise life‑changing funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. Last year the race collected almost £41,000, nudging the running total since 2007 past £420,000 for local Macmillan services.
How You Can Get Involved
| Category |
Details |
| Enter a Team |
- Four friends or colleagues
- £300 entry
- Plenty of enthusiasm
- Practice from 12 noon
- Racing starts after the safety briefing
|
| Borrow a Coracle |
- No boat? No problem
- £30 donation
- First-come, first-served
|
| Fundraise / Donate |
- Each team sets up a JustGiving page
- Spectators can chip in on race day or online
|
| Watch the Fun |
Barbecue, refreshments and riverside entertainment make it a perfect late‑summer afternoon out for the family. |
Register or ask questions: coracleworldchampionships@gmail.com
Full details: Visit Coracle World Championship website.
A word from our Chairman
"Our customers are the heart of everything we do, and together we form a fantastic community. Supporting Macmillan’s coracle race for another year lets us give something back while having a bit of madcap fun on the river. I’d love to see teams from every brand we represent – Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Kia, KGM and Isuzu – battling it out for the world title!”
— John Hughes, JT Hughes Group Chairman
Quick Facts
| Info |
Details |
| Date & Time |
Friday 12 September 2025 – practice 12:00, first heats 14:00, awards & party from 18:00. |
| Location |
Pengwern Boat Club, Shrewsbury SY3 7BD. |
| Prize |
Eternal glory, a trophy… and bragging rights as Coracle World Champions! |
| Beneficiary |
Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity 261017 (England & Wales), SC039907 (Scotland) & 604 (Isle of Man). |
Media & sponsorship enquiries
John Harrison – Macmillan Cancer Support
07800 985 592 | JHarrison@macmillan.org.uk
We hope to see you – and maybe even your coracle‑paddling team – on the riverbank this September. Until then, happy motoring!