HUNDREDS of people lined the River Severn to cheer on crews in the annual Arley to Stourport raft race.

There were 46 rafts tackling the nine-mile event on Sunday, many of them raising cash for this year’s chosen charity, the Midlands Air Ambulance.

Teams donned fancy dress and decorated their rafts to create a carnival atmosphere.

A total of 236 people took part, with at least £4,000 expected to have been generated for good causes.

Ron Cross, chairman of Kidderminster and District Lions, who organised the event, said: “It was an absolutely smashing day. We were very pleased with the amount of people that came and took part and showed their support.”

The fastest “super raft” belonged to the Vikings, who completed the course in one hour and seven minutes.

HMS Imperial won the section for works crews in two hours and 39 minutes, while Fat Buoys Swim came up trumps in pubs, clubs and social category.

Mr Cross added: “Some of the race times were a bit slower this year because the river was very low and that can affect the race.”

The Lions club had divers in the water from the Redditch and Stourport Diving Clubs and the Severn Area Rescue Association patrolling the river to ensure that all the rafters completed the race safely.

The race was originally launched 30 years ago by Kidderminster Hospital Radio and was taken over by the Lions when it became more popular.

To see the full list of race results and more photos of the event, visit arleystourportraftrace.co.uk