Boxing Day Bibury village duck race set to go 'international'

The race begins with 130 fake ducks, which will raise money for a local charity

A quirky village tradition is set to go "international" as the Bibury Village Duck Race returns for its 35th year.

Hundreds of locals, tourists and a new "live-stream" element is expected at the festive event on the idyllic River Coln.

The event kicks off at 11:00 GMT on Boxing Day, when 3,000 rubber ducks will be released onto the river.

Organisers are offering a live stream via Instagram - which has attracted interest from across the globe.

Some 3,000 yellow rubber ducks will be released for the Bibury Cricket Club fundraiser

Families are encouraged to participate by sponsoring the rubber ducks for a small fee, with proceeds going towards fundraising for the Bibury Cricket Club, alongside a selected local charity.

Prizes will be awarded to the owners of the first ducks to cross the finish line.

Groundsman Charlie Robinson said the race has interest from all over the world and current sponsors include families as far away as Australia, America and New Zealand.

"It's quite something, 3,000 rubber ducks racing down a river that's maybe 6m wide," said Mr Robinson.

"The water is very high this year so it should be quite a fast-flowing race."

This year marks 35 years of the Bibury Village Duck Race

Jack Merrylees, Bibury Cricket Club committee member, said the "slightly odd" tradition is a "fun and engaging way of bringing the village together".

"Its origins are lost in the midst of the time. It's an evolution of 'Poohsticks', which is pretty popular in the village," said Mr Merrylees.

"Bibury is an incredibly beautiful, historic medieval village and we get thousands of tourists every year," he continued.

"It's become one of those brilliant and quaint English traditions that people find hilarious, fascinating and slightly odd."

Last year's race raised £2.5k for the cricket club and this year organisers hope the international attention will help them to raise more.

"Without these fundraising days, institutions like our local cricket club would sadly fade away, " added Mr Merrylees.

The funds will go towards the general running of the cricket club. Last year's fundraising efforts went towards an artificial pitch for local kids to have practice sessions.