charities / Events in Norfolk and Suffolk / Health & Wellbeing / Tourist Attractions Norfolk and Suffolk July 8, 2015
The weather forecast was not great and the reality wasn’t any better but the damp and grey weather didn’t dampen the spirits of a single crew member competing in the East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival on Sunday 31st May 2015 in aid of East Coast Hospice.
There were 29 racing dragon boats, the most teams ever to race on Oulton Broad. Merklyn Hauck, director of Gable Events said it was a “fantastic turnout” for this event which hadn’t taken place last year. Each team was made up of 10 paddlers and one drummer along with a helmsman from Gable Events. After many long and tiring heats and semi-finals it took some significant precision to gauge the final winners of the event with only a 10th of a second between the three finalists. Netmatters celebrated with medals and a dragon trophy awarded by The Mayor of Lowestoft & Jeff Wood (Community Fundraiser for ECH). The total raised at the event for ECH so far stands at a staggering £15,000, with more sponsorship money expected to be received.
Mumfords Hardware of Southwold were the heroes of the day raising over £4000 to help ‘Raise the Roof’ of the festival charity East Coast Hospice. They were presented with a dragon trophy and a prize meal courtesy of The Commodore in Lowestoft. Mumfords Hardware, based in Southwold, the well-known hardware cum general store has often been described as an ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ and stocks a vast array of things. Amelia Chadd from Mumfords comments, “We were delighted to have a Silver team in the Dragon Boat Festival. Our main reason for doing so is that we believe passionately in helping East Coast Hospice to build a hospice on their site at Gorleston. There is no residential hospice in our area and it is so important that we help raise the money. Most of us in the shop are not in the first flush of youth but with the help of family and friends we put together a team that didn’t win but were certainly conspicuous for our enthusiasm on the day.”
Special commendation too to Black Swan Care Group who raised £1,420. Thanks also to the Gold crews; Seajacks, EV, F.W Hall & Son Ltd, Specialised Management Services and our Silver teams; Mumfords Hardware of Southwold and RWE Generation UK whose entry fee donations added £4,000 to the fundraising total. An estimated £15,000 was raised for East Coast Hospice by the Festival.
“It’s been a great day and has gone very well” said ECH Chairman Jennifer Beesley. “We’re very lucky with this event and the hospice is important as we are the only area left without a hospice – so it is very needed. I would like to thank everybody who has turned up and supported us and hope you will do so again next year when the festival will return bigger and better than ever!”.
