St David's Hospice Care takes the plunge next month when a team of members from all parts of the charity will take part in the 49th staging of The Rotary Club of Monmouth Raft Race. The charity is the main beneficiary of funds raised through the staging of the annual event on the River Wye. The event is sponsored by Mandarin Stone, Basepoint and DHL, with funds raised donated to St David's Hospice Care and other local charities. Kris Broome, captain of the St David's Hospice Care team said: "It is a brilliant event. Our team is really looking forward to taking part in what is a truly 'oarsome' day on the River Wye." Norman Williams, of Monmouth Rotary Club, said: "We're delighted that a team from St David's Hospice care is having a raft this year. Their entry brings the current running total of rafts entered for the 2014 event to 75 so we are now three quarters of the way to reaching our target of 100 rafts for this year." The event raised more that £25,000 for charity last year with a major chunk of that money going to St David's Hospice Care. The Beacon Buccaneers will be competing in their second race this year, after a successful second place in the women's catagory in 2013. The raft race starts from the steps of Monmouth Rowing Club and finishes 6.5 miles downriver at Tump Farm in Whitebrook, where there is a family festival with food, live music from three bands, a children's fairground and a bar. Entry costs just £75 per raft including a commitment to raise a minimum of £100 per raft in sponsorship. Online entries can be submitted by visiting http://www.monmouthraftrace.com">www.monmouthraftrace.com or download an entry form from the same web page and post the entry to the address given. You can also call raft race secretary, Rotarian David Forbes on 01600 712665 or Kris Broome at St David's Hospice Care on 01633 851051.