 The race starts on Sunday, October 27, from Liverpool, circumnavigating the globe before finishing back on Merseyside in September 2003. As well as Glasgow, there will also be race representatives from New York, Cape Town, Hong Kong and London.
But Scotland will have a sneak preview of the
Glasgow Clipper when it comes to Glasgow on Friday. A weekend of events will see the yacht arrive on the Clyde and be berthed next to the SECC, in time for the official renaming ceremony by the city council’s Baillie William Timoney, on Monday at 10 am.
Other events taking place throughout the weekend include music and street entertainment near the clipper from 12-4.30 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Powerboat rides are also available along the Clyde, leaving from a slipway nearby.
Money earmarked
The fund-raising is part of the ongoing charity work from the Philip Green Memorial Trust (PGMT), who in February vowed to raise £250,000 for our campaign. The money, the biggest single pledge we’ve had, has been earmarked for a hydrotherapy unit in the new hospice.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, chairman of Clipper Ventures and the first person to sail around the world non-stop, is a patron of the Trust. The chief executive of Clipper Ventures, William Ward, is also an active member of the PGMT.
Last year’s race raised £90,000 for PGMT through sponsorship and an end-of-race charity ball, and organisers are hoping to do just as well this year.
Race director Colin de Mowbray said, “We are immensely proud to have one of the yachts named after Glasgow and we’re looking forward to the ceremony on Monday morning.”
One of the Glasgow Clipper crew members is Claire Sarafilovic, from Elie, Fife. She has just graduated from St Andrews University and is looking for an adventure before starting work. She became interested in the Clipper race despite never sailing before.
She has been visiting Glasgow schools for the past few weeks, trying to garner support for the city’s entry and encouraging pupils to raise money for PGMT and CHAS.
She said, “We’ve been asking them to do sponsored events and topics linked to the race and the places we’ll visit.”
The website for the Glasgow Clipper, which explains how pupils can help raise money, is now up and running. You can find it at
www.clipper-venture.com |
You can e-mail us at:
hospice@sundaypost.com
|
Claire
Sarafilovic. 
