HELPING hands are needed to ensure the smooth flow of one of the region’s longest-held public events.

Organisers of the annual Durham Regatta held on the River Wear in the city are appealing for volunteers to help out over the weekend of June 10 and 11.

Hundreds of crews from clubs, universities, colleges and schools across the North of England and Scotland will converge on Durham for two days of back-to-back racing on long and short courses on the river.

Helpers, with or without rowing experience, are needed to ensure the event runs like clockwork.

Publicity officer Andy Jaggard said: “We are very thankful to all the volunteers who make Durham Regatta possible.

“Each year a small army of volunteers helps to set-up, pack-down, man the entrances and perform all sorts of other important tasks during the event.

“Volunteers also work behind the scenes all year, by helping with finances, marketing, sponsorship and social media.

“But, on the weekend, itself, we need people to help with food and drink stalls, at Durham Amateur Rowing Club, where there is a small camp site, and along the Racecourse during the racing.”

Matt Evans was a first-time volunteer at last year’s event.

He said: “It was fun to be around people who had a mixture of experience, we all learned from each other.

“Volunteering at Durham Regatta is a fantastic opportunity.”

The rowing regatta is the second oldest in the country, dating from 1834, and is five years older than the famous Henley event on the Thames.

Its roots can be traced even further back, to celebrations to mark the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

An annual procession of boats was staged from Prebends Bridge to Old Durham Beck, commemorating the British victory over Napoleon.

The first procession took place shortly after the battle, organised by the High Sheriff of County of Durham, the Squire of Dryburn, William Lloyd Wharton and became an annual event.

  • For further information and volunteering application forms, please visit the new event website at durham-regatta.org.uk.