Get behind the helm for Unicef - new fundraising initiatives announced

With Race Finish fast approaching the Clipper Race is excited to announce a collection of new Unicef fundraising initiatives. They are offering the chance to bid for Clipper Race yacht wheels, stunning original paintings inspired by the race, and also have for sale limited edition prints and calendars - all which make fantastic mementos of the Clipper Race. And don't miss your chance to make your mark on the last race of the 2017-18 edition as you can bid to name one of the virtual marks on the route from Derry-Londonderry to Liverpool.

From today, you’ll have the opportunity to bid for helms from our 70 foot ocean racing yachts which have competed in the 2013-14, 2015-16 and earlier legs of the Clipper 17-18 Round the World Yacht Race. All wheels have travelled over 100,000 miles, crossed mighty oceans, steered our crews safely through extreme weathers and are the ultimate way to take a part of the race home with you. Displayed with pride they’ll make an impressive centrepiece for your home or office. They are two meters in diameter and will be accompanied with a Clipper Race letter of authenticity. The online auction is open now until Sunday 22nd July at 09:00 PM (BST).

Another fundraising initiative is the brainchild of HotelPlanner.com crew member Lucy Gruzelier. Lucy signed up the very talented Dorset artist Howard Flanagan who has created twelve striking Clipper Race inspired paintings. The original artworks are extremely detailed and were produced using a unique mix of pastels, watercolours, inks and pencil. The paintings will be mounted and framed and available by auction online until 4th August. The artworks will also be available to order as ‘buy it now’ limited edition prints for £100 and 2019 calendars using all twelve pictures for £10.

For the final race we’re giving everyone the chance to have their name appear as one of the virtual marks that the fleet must pass on their journey between Derry-Londonderry to Liverpool. Sanya Serenity Coast inspired this exciting fundraising opportunity for Leg 8. As a winning bidder, your surname will appear on the Race Viewer and has the chance to be mentioned in Crew and Skipper Blogs and on social media pages too. The auction is open now until Sunday 15th July 2018 at 9:00PM (BST).

We hope many of you will be joining us at race end therefore we would encourage you to order your prints and calendars to pick up there (and makes it cheaper for you as no postage costs!). The deadline for ordering to collect at race end is 9pm BST 10th July. Follow this link to collect at race end. If you would prefer to have your items posted then you can do so here.

Unicef relies entirely on voluntary contributions and donations. Its life-saving work wouldn’t be possible without the extraordinary generosity of its fundraisers and corporate partners.

Unicef can help put an end to preventable disease and the tragic, needless deaths of children; Put an end to hunger to ensure every child gets the nutrition they need; Put an end to violence against children to ensure every child can grow up in a world free from abuse; And with the Clipper Race crew’s help, Unicef can help make sure children get the assistance they need when disaster or war strikes.

During the 2017-18 race, crew, supporters and race partners around the world have been showing their support for Unicef. We hope these new and exciting initiatives will allow us to achieve our fundraising target of £400k and help save the lives of thousands of children.

For more details on the initiatives above please visit the online auction homepage here.