The River Hamble Games – On Your Marks!

The 2014 River Hamble Games will take place on Saturday 12th of July and entries are encouraged from athletes and enthusiasts of all ages and abilities.

Drawing inspiration from the summer Olympics of 2012, the River Hamble is a fun-packed community charity event which aims to enable participants and supporters the opportunity to fully engage with the river Hamble and its surrounds. Entries are now open to all (individuals and teams) at www.riverhamblegames.com and are filling up fast.

Competitors can enjoy taking part in any one of six sporting disciplines. On the water there will be sailing, rowing, kayaking, stand-up-paddleboarding and swimming races. For those who prefer to keep their feet dry there is also a 5 kilometre and a 10 kilometre run along the banks of the river Hamble and through Netley Country Park. Entries are encouraged from individual athletes but also from teams from clubs, pubs and groups of mates – the more the merrier! The key objective for the day is quite simply that you don't have to win it but you really should be in it!

To ensure a complete community inclusion, a full day of family activities is planned on Hamble foreshore for kids (old and young!) including music, games, crab catching, martial arts and a teddy bear's picnic to mention but a few. For those who are still bursting with energy at the end of the day or who find themselves buoyed up by sporting triumph or personal victory, there will be a spectacular closing ceremony on Saturday afternoon, followed by the After Games Party at the Royal Southern Yacht Club.

The River Hamble Games is run by a committee of volunteers and is supported by the River Hamble Harbour Authority, Eastleigh Borough Council and Fareham Borough Council along with a whole host of local business which have provided generous sponsorship contributions. Funds raised at the event will be passed to charities within the local community; in 2012 the John Merricks Sailing Trust and the Hamble Lifeboat (charities which both have strong links with Hamble and Warsash) were worthy recipients.

Susie Tomson, Chair of the River Hamble Games explained the ethos behind the event: "The River Hamble runs through the very heart of our community and the River Hamble Games present a fantastic opportunity for us all to get together to enjoy the unique sporting and leisure opportunities that the river offers along with our friends, family and neighbours. The first games took place in 2012, inspired by the summer Olympics, and the 2014 Games are proof that the much toted 'Olympic Legacy' really does exist here. Everyone is invited to enter the games and get involved irrespective of where they live or the level at which they compete. With the funds raised being fed back in to the community, the results at the River Hamble Games will be enjoyed by many and not just those who find themselves on the winners' podium at the end of the day."