Breathe some fire into your company and enter a team into the 2008 East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival!
at Oulton Broad

To celebrate Chinese New Year, Gable Events and East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices are inviting local companies and organizations to try out the ancient Chinese sport of dragon boat racing by entering a team into the East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival in aid of EACH.

The Festival takes place for the second year at Oulton Broad in Lowestoft on Sunday 11th May and is expected to provide fun and entertainment for thousands of people from throughout East Anglia.

Exciting, colourful and great fun, no previous experience is required to take part in the dragon boat racing, just plenty of team spirit. According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2008 is ‘the Year of the Rat’ and those born in this year are thought to be leaders, conquerors and pioneers…all perfect attributes for the leader of a dragon boat team! The boats and all racing equipment are provided and each crew is guaranteed a minimum of three races.

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!”

Credit – AK Event Photography

As well as the dragon boat racing there will be plenty of bankside activities and entertainment to enjoy in Nicholas Everett Park including a wide range of fun inflatables for all the family and the roadshows of Radio Broadland and the Lowestoft Journal. With the additional support of Waveney District Council, Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport and Pilch Sports, the Festival promises a fantastic day out for the teams, supporters and spectators!

The Dragon Boat Festival is also a great opportunity to raise much needed funds for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices. Quidenham Hospice in Norfolk is one of three children’s hospices in the region run by this registered charity which exists to maximise the quality of life for life-threatened children and their families. The hospice provides one-to-one nursing care for children from birth up to nineteen years of age.

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 thrilled to be the official charity for the Dragon Boat Festival once again”.

The charity is hoping to exceed the amazing £16,000 raised by the 34 teams at last year’s Festival and, as a special incentive, the Malaysian Delights Buffet Restaurant has kindly donated a special banquet at their restaurant in Norwich for the team raising the most money. Another fabulous reason to enter a team, get sponsored and raise money for EACH!

To enter a team in the Dragon Boat Festival or for more information call 01780 470718 or visit the Festival website at

www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/eastanglia