St George’s Day marks the anniversary of St George becoming the patron saint of England in 1348. Legend has it that in the days of chivalry and valour, St George arrived on his white stallion and battled the dragon with his sword to save the princess who had been offered as a sacrifice.

Hot on the heels of St George, dragon-inspired legend of a different kind comes to Lowestoft on Sunday 31st May! And, just as St George slayed the dragon with his sword, you can slay dragons with paddles at the East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival!

One of the entrants set to do dragon-battle this year is Howes Percival LLP. The company strives to deliver excellence as standard and offers a bespoke legal service that is tailored to each client’s individual needs and budget. We caught up with Judy Terrington (Marketing Executive and PA) to find out what the company hope to achieve from their entry this year;  “At Howes Percival we want our sponsorship and fundraising effort to help benefit others in the community. We know that it’s important for our lawyers and staff to get involved and the Dragon Boat Challenge is an ideal way to demonstrate our teamwork ethos and local community commitment. We are delighted to be involved with such a fun, yet important event raising money for a very worthwhile cause. Our teams will be made up of lawyers and legal professionals from across our Real Estate, Planning and Company Commercial teams based in our Norwich and Cambridge offices.”

–

Entrants so far…

With teams coming from all corners of East Anglia and representing so many different industries, the inter-company rivalry is definitely building! Companies opting for the enhanced Gold and Silver entry packages which include marketing benefits as well as a significant donation to Festival charity, East Coast Hospice include; Specialised Management Services Ltd (Great Yarmouth), EV (Norwich), Seajacks (Great Yarmouth), FW Hall & Son (Norwich),  Mumfords Hardware (Southwold) and RWE (Great Yarmouth). Other Festival entrants so far include Persimmon Homes Ltd (Lowestoft), Orwell Motorcycles (Ipswich), Subsea Technology & Rentals Ltd (Great Yarmouth), Howes Percival LLP (Norwich), Genevac Ltd (two teams from Ipswich), Elite Interiors (UK) Ltd (Lowestoft), Snelling Business Systems Ltd (Wymondham), Asco UK (Great Yarmouth), NetMatters Ltd (Wymondham), ATPI (Lowestoft), Sunrise Installations Ltd (Lowestoft), Black Swan Care Group (Norwich), Brewin Dolphin Ltd (Ipswich), Simmons Edeco (two teams from Great Yarmouth), Lovewell Blake (Lowestoft), Bradwell Butchery (Great Yarmouth) and East Coast Hospice (Great Yarmouth).

–

Entertainment…

As well as ‘slaying dragons’ and raising vital funds for East Coast Hospice, you can enjoy the variety of bankside entertainment on offer such as a funfair, children’s activities, food stalls and a bar. Lowestoft-based Venue of Performing Arts will also be giving three exciting performances at 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm.

Based on Oulton Broad they have been entertaining teams and spectators at the Festival since 2010 and never fail to impress. The Venue teaches a wide range of age groups from 3 years to 18 years and includes singing and musical theatre in its extensive work programme. Pupils are encouraged to take exams each year and the high standard of results just keeps getting better. Venue is also committed to work in the community and the teaching programme includes working with adults with disabilities. We spoke with Venue principal Libby Newton about the role of the school and how the Festival provides them with a welcome platform to perform; “We aim to develop each student’s ability to the maximum but firmly believe that dance should be a joy. We try to encourage self-discipline and team work, each student working hard to support their friends to ensure that each performance reaches its full potential. Taking part in the Dragon Boat Festival is one of the many chances the students get to perform before a wider audience.”

–

Festival charity – East Coast Hospice

Hospices play a key role in providing support and care to people with incurable illnesses as well as their family and friends. At present there are no inpatient hospices in the Waveney and Yarmouth area but East Coast Hospice plans to change this. Their vision is to provide an independent local Hospice that delivers expert medical care alongside compassion, dignity, love and peace for those with life-limiting conditions. They aim to support patients and their families to live as well as they can for as long as they can and when the time comes; to support a dignified ending to their life.

–

How to join in…

To take part in the dragon boat racing and help raise money for East Coast Hospice, no previous experience is required, just plenty of team spirit and enthusiasm! The dragon boats, qualified helms and all racing equipment are provided and each crew is guaranteed a minimum of three races. For further information and an entry form please visit: www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/eastanglia or call Gable Events on 01780 470 718. To find out more about the services of East Coast Hospice call 01493 718707 or visit www.eastcoasthospice.org.uk

—

advert