Exiles are out in force at top race (From Gazette Series)

Exiles are out in force at top race

A PURTON-BASED rafting team will be hoping to raise a bonanza for charity tomorrow during a top race over the River Wye.

Synwell Exiles, an experienced and intrepid rafting team who train on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal in Purton, are entering 'The 60 Miler', a charity race that runs from Hay-on-Wye to Chepstow.

The annual challenge (usually known as 'The 100 Miler') has had its distance shortened this year, but is still a keenly-contested event on the rafting calender.

At the heart of the Synwell Exiles team is former Wotton Rovers goalkeeper Phillip Walker, a fanatical rafter who is the Exiles' main event organiser and promoter.

Walker, 48, lived in Wotton-under-Edge for most of his life but now lives in Dursley, where he has overseen the team's development since becoming involved with the sport three years ago.

Walker told the Gazette: "This is my third year in rafting and I have done all sorts, including 200 milers. I came fourth in the 100 miler on the River Wye last year with a team from Rugby.

"It's just something different, and I thought I'd have a go. I just got the bug really.

"We're always looking for more people to get involved with rafting, and there used to be a lot of teams in the Dursley area so I've been told.

"We've got about 14/15 races a season and we'd like to set up a bigger operation really. We do four, six and eight-person rafting."

Tomorrow's race represents a big challenge for the team and is an eight-person race. The Exiles are hoping to raise money for the Char charity group, a Hereford-based organisation that helps cancer sufferers.

Walker, who played for Rovers in the 1970s and 1980s and is the father of local goalscoring legend Ricky, is a passionate Synwell stalwart with a family history that is heavily connected with the now-defunct Synwell Rovers football team.

As he said: "We'll be flying the claret and blue (Synwell Rovers' playing colours) flag on the raft!"

L For further information on rafting and Synwell Exiles, contact Walker on 01453 542468.