Visitors to this unique exhibition at St Johns Place inside The Mall will be able to view the dragon boat and talk to staff from Gable Events throughout the day about any aspect of the Festival including how to become a participating team. There will also be a display and information about the Festival’s nominated charity, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). A Black Thunder from media supporter Radio Broadland, will also be in attendance at the Castle Meadow entrance.
Gable Events has already received a great deal of interest from potential crews and anticipates that the event will be another sell-out success. The Festival is taking place at Oulton Broad and last year attracted more than 30 teams, over 3000 spectators and raised more than £16,000 for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.
Carol Lester, Director of Festival organizers Gable Events commented: “Thousands of companies worldwide have enjoyed the motivational and team building benefits of dragon boat racing so it is great to offer the people of East Anglia the chance to take part in this exhilarating ancient Chinese sport. All the feedback from last year’s Festival at Oulton Broad has been extremely positive and we are expecting this year’s event to be even bigger and better!”
Exciting, colourful and great fun, no previous experience is required to take part in the dragon boat racing, just plenty of team spirit! The ornate 30’ Chinese dragon boats and all racing equipment are provided and each crew of up to 11 people is guaranteed a minimum of three races. With plenty of bankside activities and entertainment including the roadshows of Festival supporters, Radio Broadland and the Lowestoft Journal, the Festival offers a great day out for the teams, their families and supporters. The Festival also has the full support of Waveney District Council, Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport and Pilch Sports.
Trophies will be presented to the winning crew, the top mixed crew, the ‘best dressed’ crew and the crew raising the most money for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices. The top fundraisers for EACH will also receive a special oriental banquet for the whole crew courtesy of the Malaysian Delights Buffet Restaurant in Timber Hill, Norwich.
EACH’s three multi-disciplinary care teams help local life-threatened children and their families with the emotional and physical challenges they face, helping them to make the most of life. They welcome the whole family for a break together or time to themselves in a home-from-home environment or in the comfort of their own home. They offer a diverse range of services including: care at end of life, respite care, specialist play, music therapy, telephone support, practical help, advice and information and bereavement support for all family members, including siblings and grandparents.
Simon Hempsall, Marketing Manager for EACH, explains: “The majority of EACH’s costs are not for specialist equipment but for delivering the specialist one-to-one nursing care and support so vital to local children and their families. Relying as much as we do on voluntary public support, we are delighted to be the official charity for the Dragon Boat Festival once again and hope to surpass the fantastic total of £16,000 raised in 2007. To find out more about this exciting event and the work that EACH do, please do come down and visit the Festival display this Saturday in The Mall.”
For further details and an entry form you can also contact Gable Events on 01780 470718 or visit the Festival website at
