A team of Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership (DGHP) staff, friends and colleagues took part in the recent Dumfries Lions Club Raft Race to raise money for a local cause.

The team took part in the race to raise funds for their Charity Choir challenge which will be held later in the year. Overall, the group are raising money for the local branch of Welfare Rights.

The group, who had little experience of rafting, hope to raise around £500 as a result of their river rafting efforts and they were over the moon to go on and be crowned the first six female raft winners on the day.

On the raft were Rebecca Callander, Rebecca Renton, Deborah Cross, Neil Patterson, Kirsten Rowe and Ruth Moodycliffe. Neil was, of course, an honorary ‘female’ for the day as he joined the group dressed in nun outfits.

A total of 18 rafts took part in the race and everyone had a great time. They dressed as nuns for the race as a sneak preview to their upcoming choir challenge.

Rebecca Callander said: “We had very little experience of rafting, with only one member having taken part before. We had a few sleepless nights beforehand but we absolutely loved it – even though the first time we even got in the raft was three days before the actual race.

“I think we were making a lot of noise and people said they could hear us before we came into sight. The whole race took us around 30 minutes to complete – but because we didn’t know how to move in a different direction we ended up doing a few 360 degree turns along the way. It was all part of the fun though and we are delighted with the amount raised.”

The team are now looking to their next fundraising challenge which will take the form of a quiz and then, of course, the actual choir event itself in late October. The group are keeping tight-lipped about what they are planning for the choir challenge – but the nun outfits are a bit of a clue.

If you would like to sponsor the team in their efforts to raise much-needed funds for Welfare Rights you can do so by contacting DGHP by email at customerservice@dghp.org.uk.

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