Kingston Regatta is set to return on Saturday, July 9, and it again promises to be a great weekend on the river.

There will be more than 300 races between 400 rowers, equating to a race every four minutes over two days of watery fun from 9am to 7pm each day.

A large contingent from Gibraltar will be racing together with professional clubs, local schools, Kingston University, Kingston Rowing Club and development squads from Oxford and Cambridge.

The course runs downstream from Ravens Ait to Kingston Bridge and anyone can watch free of charge from outside Charter Quay or the opposite bank. For £1.50 you can watch from the enclosure and get a programme of the day's activities.

In addition to all the usual racing, there are two special events taking place to celebrate young people's success on the river.

Children from four Kingston junior schools will compete in an indoor rowing competition on the riverbank at noon on Saturday.

The Guy Salmon-sponsored competition will be the culmination of the Dry Start programme, launched by Kingston Council earlier this year, in which students from Fern Hill Primary School, Latchmere Junior School, St Agatha's Catholic Primary School and St Luke's Primary School had weekly training sessions on indoor rowing machines at Tiffin Girls' School in Richmond Road, Kingston.

There will also be a special race for the four youngsters who won Frank Knight Rowing Scholarships.

Kingston University is the main sponsor of the event, along with Hampton Court Palace, the Environment Agency and the Surrey Comet and Kingston Guardian newspapers.

Visit www.kingstonregatta.co.uk to find out more about the event and register a team.