Lining up the ducks in Stratford for charity

OLYMPIC glory was celebrated in the winning window display promoting this Saturday’s annual duck race in Stratford.

This year’s window design winners are ShoeMed in Henley Street who chose to promote Stratford Rotary Club’s duck race with a tribute to Esme Booth’s silver winning performance in the Paris Olympics with a comical and colourful arrangement of ducks rowing in a specially arranged water scene.

The ducks were depicted racing with their country’s Team GB flag and included a bandstand for the public to cheer from.

Vinegar Hill, in Sheep Street, and Sniff and Bark, in Church Street, were the runners-up.

Around ten shops accepted the challenge to decorate their windows and promote this year’s duck race on the River Avon, which is raising money for the Shakespeare Hospice, Riding for the Disabled, Stratford Foodbank, and Stratford Samaritans.

“There were so many great window displays and the Rotary Club of Stratford thanks all businesses who spent the time and artistic ability in producing some lovely and highly original promotional efforts. I was happy to dress up as a duck but it did get a little hot in that costume at times,” said Rotarian Gillian Rushton.

Hundreds of yellow plastic ducks will be tipped into the water at 2pm at the weir next to the Recreation Ground and will steadily bob their way to the finishing line which is close to the footbridge at Lucy’s Mill.