Newport-based award-winning independent brewer Tiny Rebel is urging people to sign up for the Monmouth Raft Race 2017 while there are still places available.

Tiny Rebel, which recently located to a 1.5 acre site incorporating brewery, bar and events space at Rogerstone, near Newport, is a sponsor of the event and is also entering a team into the challenging race this year.

Bradley Cummings, of the family-owned business winner of the International Beer Challenge's UK Brewery of the year 2016, said: “Almost half of the places available in this year’s Monmouth Raft Race have now been taken so I’d advise anyone thinking of entering to take the plunge.

“We’re urging others to sign up quick and join us in this mega fun event which raises funds for a great local charity, St David’s Hospice Care which provides such fabulous care to people and their families our community.”

Tiny Rebel is the only Welsh brewery to have claimed the Champion Beer of Britain prize, which it won in 2015 for Cwtch. For exhausted rafters, families and supporters Tiny Rebel will have a pay bar at the finish festival at Tump Farm, Whitebrook.

Organisers, Monmouth Rotary Club, which has staged the annual River Wye Raft race for the past 15 years, will once more raise funds for St David’s Hospice Care through its staging of the 52nd Monmouth Raft Race, on Sunday, September 3.

Monmouth Rotary president Sandra Davey said: “We are extremely grateful to Tiny Rebel for not just sponsoring the event this year and entering a raft into the race.”

Emma Saysell, chief executive of St David’s Hospice Care, said: “The continued support we get from Monmouth Rotary Club and all our sponsors is truly amazing and important to us especially as our commitments have now been considerably increased with the opening a few weeks ago of the new 15-bed in patient centre in Malpas.”

The main sponsors of this year’s raft race are BDW South Wales, Mandarin Stone and Tiny Rebel. Award sponsors are Siltbuster, Jolly Clothing, Harrison Clark Rickerby Solicitors, and EE Monmouth. Further awards sponsorship opportunities remain available, as are stalls at the family festival at the finish.

The race will start from Monmouth Rowing Club and end at Tump Farm, Whitebrook. The annual event sees crews of four or more build rafts and then paddle them 6.5 miles down the River Wye from the rowing club steps at Monmouth to Whitebrook.

Entry is £75 per raft including a commitment to raise a minimum of £100 in sponsorship. For full details about the 2017 Monmouth Raft Race, including online or postal entries, please visit www.monmouthraftrace.com or call Monmouth Raft Race secretary, Rotarian David Forbes on 01600 712665 or Kris Broome at St David’s Hospice Care on 01633 851051.