Clipper Race and UNICEF celebrate £2 million fundraising milestone

Clipper Race crew have crossed the Finish Line of the Clipper 2025-26 Race, having raced 40,000 nautical miles around the world and there’s something else to celebrate. A £2 million fundraising milestone for UNICEF has just been reached, with the total raised over ten years of partnership.  

Team UNICEF's yacht, affectionately known as the 'Big Blue Boat', completed its latest circumnavigation of the globe with the Clipper Race, finishing the race in sixth place whilst helping drive vital funding for children worldwide. The yacht is gifted by the Clipper Race to UNICEF for each edition, enabling crew to race under the UNICEF banner and raise vital funds for children around the world. 

Image: Team UNICEF on stage at the Clipper 2025-26 Race Finish in Portsmouth, UK.

The 2025-26 edition of the Clipper Race marked ten years of partnership with leading child rights organisation, UNICEF, as a Team and Charity partner. 

Over the ten years of partnership, Clipper Race crew, staff, supporters and Race Partners have raised over £2 million to help UNICEF build systems that protect children and create lasting change to make childhood unstoppable. UNICEF works in over 190 countries, protecting children's rights and providing life-changing support, from healthcare and vaccinations to clean water, nutrition and safe spaces to play and learn. 

George Best, Head of Partnerships at Clipper Ventures, said: 

"Partnerships are at their most powerful when they create meaningful impact beyond the event itself. Raising £345,586 for UNICEF throughout the Clipper 2025-26 Race, and reaching the incredible £2 million fundraising milestone over ten years of partnership, demonstrates what can be achieved when our colleagues, Race Crew, Partners and supporters unite behind a common purpose. 

Image: Overall Fundraising Total displayed at the Clipper 2025-26 Race Finish in Portsmouth, UK.

"Every pound raised will help UNICEF continue its vital work for children across the globe, and I'm immensely proud of everyone who has played a part in reaching this remarkable milestone. As the final donations continue to arrive, this achievement is a fitting testament to the generosity and spirit of our global Clipper Race community." 

To celebrate a decade of the Clipper Race's commitment to UNICEF's work for children around the world, Team UNICEF's crew members and UNICEF Skippers from past editions have shared their journeys from over the years in a short film featuring UNICEF UK Ambassador Dermot O'Leary.

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Guy Waites, Team UNICEF Skipper, Clipper 2025-26 Race, said: 

Image: Guy Waites, Race Skipper of Team UNICEF for the Clipper 2025-26 Race. 

“To be the skipper of the UNICEF team is a remarkably humbling role, having grown up in a perfectly normal family-oriented world where the basics of life were quite simply taken for granted, peace, education, food, water and a loving family. It’s almost unfathomable what some children in the world have to contend with.    

“The goal for the ten teams racing round the world in this most recent edition of the race was to reach the incredible target of £2 million raised by the Clipper Race since our first collaboration with UNICEF ten years ago. The great news is that we’ve hit that target thanks to some inspired fundraising by all the teams and their amazing supporters!    “Congratulations everyone and a huge thank you, it’s been a privilege!” 

Guy's reflections highlight the sense of pride many crews carry in knowing that their efforts have contributed to something much bigger than the race itself. This sentiment is echoed by Philip Goodwin, Chief Executive at UNICEF UK, who added: 

"Congratulations to the Clipper Race crews on completing one of the most challenging global adventures, championing child rights along the way. Their incredible fundraising efforts really will make a huge difference to support UNICEF's work ensuring children around the world have happy, healthy, and safe childhoods." 

From community events and cultural celebrations to quizzes, raffles and game nights, Clipper Race Crew found creative ways to fundraise throughout the 2025-26 edition. 

During stopovers around the world, Team London Business School hosted a night of music, culture and community in Cape Town, while Team Scotland hosted a night of ‘Scottish Ceilidh’ in Airlie Beach, Team Power of Seattle Sports celebrated Dutch King's Day with games and a raffle in Seattle, and Team GOSH put the crew’s knowledge to the test with a pub quiz in Washington, DC.  

These events, alongside countless individual fundraising efforts from crew, including Team Tongyeong’s Lauren Groves donating hair to raise funds for UNICEF, and crew members creating and selling postcards, ‘Wobble Bobble’ hats, T-shirts and Croc charms to raise money for their teams, as well as support from their families, friends, helped the Clipper Race reach its £2 million milestone. 

The Clipper Race also recognised the outstanding fundraising efforts of its crew through the Charity Champion award. Team Power of Seattle Sports was crowned the overall Charity Champion after raising £67,683, with the top three teams in the fundraising league table raising: 

Team Power of Seattle Sports: £67,683 

Team London Business School: £65,077.64 

Team Scotland: £51,196.30 

With the 2025-26 Race now complete, the impact of crew efforts will continue long after the yachts have crossed the finish line. Fundraising for this edition currently stands at £345,586, with donations still able to be made towards the Clipper Race's UNICEF total here - https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/clipper2025-26race