The 2012 Festival takes place on Saturday 8th September on the River Cam in Fen Ditton and is one of the largest and most eagerly anticipated team events in the region. Over 40 crews representing companies, organisations, clubs and groups of friends from all over Cambridgeshire and surrounding areas are expected to battle it out over the 200m race course. They will all be seeking to knock Select Plant Hire off their pedestal as reigning champions whilst also aiming to top last year’s impressive event fund-raising total of £20,000 for Festival charity, EACH.
No previous experience is required to take part in the dragon boat racing, just plenty of team spirit so why not take up the challenge? Thankfully, you don’t need the physical strength of a Steve Redgrave or the athleticism of a Jessica Ennis to be successful as teamwork and timing win the day. The dragon boats, qualified helms and all racing equipment are provided and each crew is guaranteed a minimum of three races. The Festival offers a full day of fun on land as well as water with plenty of activities on the bankside to entertain teams and spectators between races. The event is supported by Archant Cambridge.
EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. They provide care and support wherever the family wishes – in families’ own homes, in hospital or at one of their hospices in Milton, Ipswich and Quidenham. They are a registered charity (no. 1069284) and this year need to raise £4.8 million in donations to deliver their services. This amounts to £13,000 a day, every day of the year. In the words of one parent “I just want everyone to know how amazing EACH is and the amazing job they do – without them I just couldn’t cope. They are lifesavers.” The top fundraisers for EACH will win the charity trophy plus a prize meal at a local restaurant.
Carol Lester, Director of Festival organisers, Gable Events, adds; “The Festival is a great chance for companies and organisations to try something completely different, promote themselves to a large local audience, network with local companies and potential clients and raise money for EACH. It is also a fantastic team building opportunity – what better way to get to know what makes your colleagues and competitors tick?! We expect the Festival to be as popular as ever this time around so we recommend teams get their entries in early to guarantee a place”.
For further information and an entry form please visit
www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/cambridge or call Gable Events on 01780 470 718
