Resourceful members of the Budleigh Salterton Lions Club were not to be defeated when circumstances outside of their control threatened to put the mockers on this year's charity fundraising duck race.

Their quack team came up with a cunning plan, as club president Richard Allen explained: "Normally in September we hold our annual duck race and barbecue on the River Otter just outside of Budleigh Salterton.

"Unfortunately this year we were unable to do this due to the works in connection with the Lower Otter Restoration Project. Rather than do nothing we turned the event into a Duck Race Raffle."

Richard went on: "Thanks to our club members selling tickets, the terrific support we received from local people and holiday makers buying tickets, plus many donations, we raised the magnificent sum of £2,283.66 which will go to help many local charitable causes. The raffle draw took place on Sunday morning, September 26, in Budleigh High Street."

Richard added: "Our duck race is almost 40 years old and it used to run in March from the river bridge at Otterton to the White Bridge on South Farm Road. One year the race took five and a half hours to complete and so it was decided to run it from Clamour Bridge and hold it in September.

"In the early days we used to hire wetsuits and borrow some from the fire service but in later years our team of helpers used their own to walk the river and make sure there were no missing ducks!"