A team of six employees from Community Dental Services CIC (CDS) in Bedfordshire built a raft in their free time and took part in the Bedford River Festival’s Raft Race on Sunday 21st July to raise awareness and funds for the Mouth Cancer Foundation; a charity dedicated to helping and supporting those living with or at risk of mouth cancer, throat cancer and other head and neck cancers, as well as providing assistance and information on living with mouth cancer for families, friends and carers.
The raft race was one part of the Bedford River Festival, a biannual, two-day community event which also hosts live entertainment, music, workshops, farming area, crazy golf, activities, a funfair, and river displays; and attracts in the region of 250,000 visitors.
Glen Taylor, Chief Operating Officer for CDS in the East of England, and one of the raft crew was delighted with the team’s efforts at the weekend: “This was our second year competing in the raft race. Our team consisted of Dental Officers, Dental Nurses, our Specialist in Special Care and our Clinical Director. Together, we spent some of our weekends building our raft; tweaking our design from valuable lessons learnt in 2022. We wanted a traditional raft but one that would be lighter and hopefully more agile, and we added a CDS flag on the back.
“We pulled together as a team when things got tough, and the cheering of the crowd provided much needed encouragement. With such amazing support we were delighted to take third place in our heat and fifth in the final – compared to our 2022 efforts which saw us come third in our heat and sixth in the final.
“We had a lot of fun but most importantly were proud to raise awareness of mouth, throat, head and neck cancer; and we managed to not sink in front of the crowd of over 10,000 spectators, which was a welcomed bonus!”
To sponsor the team and help raise funds for the Mouth Cancer Foundation, please visit their Just Giving Page: www.justgiving.com/page/glen-taylor-1720685508666?utm_term=e6NN2Dx6v
