The Race1 boat, which came second included Race1's Stuart and Ritchie along with SPARKS celebrity's "Babs" (seated far right, below) from Top of the Pops' Pans People and her husband TV & film actor, Robert Powell (standing centre, below) who, amongst many roles, played Jesus in the film 'Jesus of Nazareth', appeared in 'The Thirty-Nine Steps' and 'Tommy' and starred with Jasper Carrott in the comedy series 'The Detectives'.

Founded and supported by top personalities in sports and entertainment, SPARKS' aim is to help all children to be born healthy and stay healthy. SPARKS fundraising activities range from neighbourhood coffee mornings, school fun runs and local 5-a-side soccer cups to star-studded gala balls, golf days, clay shooting, polo tournaments, fashion shows and NOW sailing!

Remarkable SPARKS supporters have even been known to walk and cycle from John O'Groats to Lands End and row across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Dedicated individuals, corporate partners and celebrities are united by a single common goal: raising the money that brings health, hope and happiness to the lives of babies and children and those who love them. The importance of the work undertaken by SPARKS is summed up by one startling statistic: around 80% of pioneering paediatric medical research at hospitals and universities in the UK has to be funded by charities like SPARKS. It's this knowledge that motivates the small dedicated team at SPARKS. Indeed, since 1991, SPARKS has funded 132 medical projects in the UK, committing over £10 million to tackle conditions as diverse as cerebral palsy, meningitis, the dangers of premature birth, spina bifida childhood arthritis and cancers.