Canolfan Meddygol Bron Derw Medical Centre is swapping clinic corridors for tidal currents this month as their raft, HMS Bron a Boddi, lines up for the Great Strait Raft Run on Saturday 24 May 2026, raising funds for Bangor’s Maes-G ShowZone.
Held annually on the Menai Strait, the Great Strait Raft Run takes crews from the old slate port of Y Felinheli towards Porthaethwy (Menai Bridge), with Snowdonia’s mountains and Anglesey’s coastline providing a spectacular backdrop. But while the view is postcard-perfect, the water can be anything but forgiving.
From the beach at Y Felinheli, rafts head towards the bridges, passing beneath Britannia Bridge before entering the infamous stretch of water known as the Swellies, the fast-moving, rock-studded section between Britannia Bridge and the Menai Suspension Bridge, before continuing under the Menai Suspension Bridge and on to the finish.
And then there’s the raft name.
Bron a Boddi is a brilliantly Bangor-flavoured nod to the challenge. In Welsh, boddi means “to drown”, and bron can be used to mean “almost”. Put together, Bron a Boddi carries the tongue-in-cheek sense of “almost drowning”, a name that raises a smile while acknowledging exactly what the crew is up against.
This year, the Bron Derw team has chosen to fundraise for Bangor’s Maes-G ShowZone, the volunteer-run, not-for-profit dance and musical theatre group based in Maesgeirchen, working with young people aged 7 to 18. Week by week, ShowZone gives children a place to belong, build confidence and make friends, and it gives families and the wider community something to feel proud of.
A spokesperson for Canolfan Meddygol Bron Derw Medical Centre said the team was proud to support the cause:
“Maes-G ShowZone is a fantastic volunteer-led organisation that brings creativity, confidence, and opportunity to children in the Bangor community. We’re proud to support such an important local cause, and we’re looking forward to the raft race – a fun challenge that the whole team can get behind.”
Naomi Crane of Maes-G ShowZone said:
“People sometimes call this ‘a raft race’, but anyone who knows the Menai Strait knows this is a serious challenge, especially through the Swellies. For the staff at Bron Derw Medical Centre to take this on for our young people is incredibly generous, and we’re genuinely proud to be the cause they’ve chosen to support.”
For many families, ShowZone has become a real point of pride, and that impact has been recognised officially too. In 2025, the group won the BBC Cymru Wales Make a Difference Award (Community Group), and received a Bangor City Council Civic Award, given “in recognition of their contribution and service to the benefit of the citizens and City of Bangor”. For the volunteers and young people involved, it was a powerful reminder that their hard work is being seen and valued.
Donations to support HMS Bron a Boddi can be made via GoFundMe
And for anyone who wants to see ShowZone in action, the group will be performing at Bryn Terfel Theatre, Pontio, Bangor, on 25th and 26th of July 2026. Tickets are available now at www.Pontio.co.uk
