Bahrain: Hundreds of people turned out yesterday to support a major charity event that raised tens of thousands of dinars for the fight against diabetes.

The 40th annual Raft Race at Al Bander Hotel and Resort, organised by the Rotary Club of Salmaniya, saw participation by 30 teams.

Money raised will go towards the Bahrain Diabetic Society and the Health Ministry in support of their campaigns against the disease.

“The weather, unlike the previous days, was lovely and we are happy to see that a lot of people came to make the event a success,” Rotary Club of Salmaniya member and Raft Race public relations committee member Faisal Juma told the GDN.

“We aim to raise BD50,000 and we are optimistic about it.

“We chose diabetes for this year as we know of the high prevalence of the condition in Bahrain.”

There were two races – an open sea race for all-male teams and a lagoon race for mixed teams.

There was a host of entertainment for spectators including a bouncy castle, face-painting, airbrush tattoos, clowns and a DJ.

The annual fundraiser was first launched in 1977 and has so far raised more than BD2 million for charity.

Winners of yesterday’s race were: 

Men: Gold - BMMI, Silver -Alba-2, Bronze - Al Ghalia group-2.

Mixed: Gold - Alba-3, Silver - APM Terminals, Bronze - MMC. 

raji@gdn.com.bh