NEXT Sunday, April 6 at 3pm, a flotilla of small boats in the dark and light blue colours of Oxford and Cambridge Universities will be sailing down the Tavistock Canal to raise money for the Meadows Makeover Group, a group of local parents which is fund raising to purchase new play equipment for the Meadows in Tavistock.

The race is being staged by the Lions Club of Tavistock on the same day as the University Boat Race — but the original concept of entrants making their own paper boats to a standard pattern had to be abandoned after some rather unsuccessful trials!

The Lions will now provide numbered small bamboo boats at £1 each with dark or light blue stickers depending on which university team is being supported and the entrants can also personalise their boats, provided that no additional source of power is added!

The race will start at the canal bridge at 3pm just behind Meadowlands, finishing at the next bridge along the canal with a prize of a large Easter Egg for the winner and small eggs for all entrants.

Those wishing to take part should be in the Meadows no later that 2.45pm in order to purchase and personalise their boat in readiness for the mass start at 3pm.

For further details, visit the Lions web site at http://www.tavistocklions.org.uk">www.tavistocklions.org.uk or their Facebook page or call 0845 8334807.