Place2Be joins The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at The King’s Cup

Place2Be proudly took part in The King’s Cup sailing regatta today; going head to head with seven other charities, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Today, Place2Be took part in the inaugural King’s Cup regatta; organised to raise awareness and money for eight charities supported by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The inaugural King’s Cup regatta had originally been scheduled for Friday 9 August, but adverse weather conditions led to the event being brought forward to 2pm today.

Each charity represented chose a celebrity ambassador to act as skipper on their boat, with longstanding Place2Be Ambassador Katie Thistleton joining our team.

The teams took part in two races to determine the overall winners. In the second race, many boats - including the Duchess of Cambridge's - were disqualified for not going back and starting the race at the line. Katie and Place2Be came third in the second race, but in the top three positions overall were won by:

1. Tusk and Bear Grylls
2. London’s Air Ambulance Charity’s 30th anniversary campaign and Dan Snow
3. Child Bereavement UK and HRH The Duke of Cambridge

These teams beat Place2Be, Centrepoint and Fara Williams, Action on Addiction and John Bishop, the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families and Helen Glover, and The Royal Foundation and HRH The Duchess of Cambridge. The Duchess of Cambridge was awarded the wooden spoon for coming in last.

A 500-seater grandstand was put up in Cowes for spectators to watch the race, with footage played on screens across the town. Pupils and teachers from Brighstone CE Primary School, Isle of Wight, joined us there to cheer for Katie and the Place2Be team.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hope that the regatta will become an annual event, bringing greater awareness to the benefits of sport, while also raising support and funds for their causes.

Observant Place2Be supporters may have spotted that something there’s different about Place2Be today. On the sail of our boat, and across our website and social media, Place2Be are excited to reveal a new logo and refreshed look to mark our 25th anniversary.

Learn more about the King’s Cup Regatta