Plastic Freed Ducks in Buckingham

Yesterday was the annual Duck race at Tanlaw Mill on the University Campus. Such a wonderful carefree event that saw (I reckon) at least a 150 people watching the flotilla of plastic ducks glide down the mill stream. My task was to judge the artistic merit of the decorated ducks in three age categories: 1-5, 6-12 & 13+. It was a tough call, but someone has to do it. I selected a top three from each age category and then chose the winner. And the winners were:

• 1-5 years old: Henry Bartlett (for the exuberance of his design applied with such youthful abandon)
• 6-12 years old: Hope Lawler (for cramming as much glitter as she could, and the world always needs more glitter)
• 13+: Marianne Collier (for majestically turning her duck into a Chinese dragon)

And the overall winner of the duck race itself was Dr Frances Robinson's plastic bird. Everyone received prizes from Crafty Little Monsters, Gazzeria, the Woolpack and Amazon respectively. 

The University managed to raise £553 for UBSOS (University of Buckingham Supporting Overseas Schooling). The UBSOS will be looking at a project for this money and it will probably be to an orphanage in India. (Thanks to Anne Matsuoka for all these details: it all went by in a yellow and glittery blur for me!) And thanks to Dean Jones for most of the photographs below! 

The ducks on route to the launch!

They are launched - with help from a large duck in a canoe!

Here are some of the 1-5 entries with the winner in the centre, front.

The top 3 in the 6-12 category with the winner at the front

The top 3 in the 13+ category - Polduck (with a map of Cornwall), the one I labelled Mamma Miya and the winner of course - the Chinese dragon

Professor Robinson and her winning duck being presented with her prize by Professor John Clapham

Tino Santonocito, the University’s International Business Development Manager acted as MC for the event. Here he is next to me (deep in judging thought).

More ducks!

And I quite liked this shot of a judge in action!! :-)