The 22nd Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival is set to make waves in the city this year.
Organisers NewWave Events are bringing the much-loved and fiercely contested festival back to Peterborough on Saturday 11th June – and entries are open now.
Teams will take to the water at Peterborough Rowing Club to race in brightly-coloured 30-foot dragon boats, each with a dragon’s head at the bow and a traditional drum for keeping the beat with the rowers’ strokes.
It has been announced today that the team at Whirlpool UK will sponsor the festival, which will once again raise vital funds for Peterborough’s Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.
To ‘wet’ everyone’s appetite, a dragon boat will be on display at Serpentine Green shopping centre this Saturday 29th January from 9am to 4pm. Shoppers will be able to see the boat up close and find out more about the festival.
Alicja Mierzejewska, Executive Director of NewWave Events, said: “If you are out and about shopping this Saturday, come and see us and find out how you could race a dragon this summer! We can’t wait to bring the Dragon Boat Festival back to Peterborough. It promises to be a fun-filled event for all the local community to enjoy. Teams of up to eleven people – usually wearing fantastic fancy dress – will take to the water to battle it out over a 200-metre course. The aim is to bring everyone together in the fresh air for some friendly competition and fundraising. Dragon boat racing is a brilliant thing to do as a team, from groups of colleagues to friends and families. We hope everyone will be inspired to make waves and sign up – our dragons are ready and waiting!”
Nilesh Patel, Senior Community Fundraiser at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, added: “We are thrilled the Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival is set to make a splash and return in 2022. We are really grateful the festival will once again raise vital funds for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice and help us be there for local families when it matters. At Sue Ryder, we believe the end of someone’s life is the most important time of their life. The funds raised will help us to continue to deliver our expert and compassionate care – and fill someone’s last days with love.”
Ian Moverley, Public Affairs Director at Whirlpool UK, said: “We are delighted to be participating in the Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival again this year. As lead sponsors, our aim is to help raise as much money as possible for the chosen charity. Sue Ryder is close to the hearts of many of our colleagues here at Whirlpool, and we often get involved in volunteering and fundraising activities to support the great work they are doing. Many of our colleagues have been involved with the festival for many years – it is a brilliant day out for our teams and their families and friends.”
The 2022 Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival will take place on Saturday 11th June at Peterborough Rowing Club, Thorpe Meadows.
For more information and to sign up, please visit https://dragonboatevents.co.uk/peterborough-dragon-boat-festival or contact the fundraising team at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice at thorpe.fundraising@sueryder.org or on 01733 225999.
