Waves of dragon boat supporters help raise more than £38,000 for local hospice
June 20, 2022
After two years away from the water, a raft of racers and supporters turned out for the much-loved Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival over the weekend, helping to raise an incredible £38,612, for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.
Forty teams took to the water for the annual boat race – now in its twenty-second year – at Peterborough Rowing Club, Thorpe Meadows on Saturday 11 June, with Preston’s Physio Green Dream Team scooping top spot in the Mixed Crew Champions and Amazon Griffins taking gold in the Champions finale.
There were also prizes for the best dressed crew, won by British Sugar – Sugar Babes & Sugar Lumps – and for the team who managed to tot up the most money for charity, which was awarded to The PCML Paddlers who raised an amazing £4,005 for the hospice and won the special prize of a group escape room experience, courtesy of Escape Peterborough.
Nilesh Patel, Senior Community Fundraiser at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, said: “It was fantastic to be back at the festival this year. A big thank you to everyone including those who raised sponsorship for our hospice, our festival sponsor Whirlpool and media partner ESP Magazine for their support and promotion, as well as Escape Peterborough for donating the top fundraisers prize!
“It wasn’t just the boat teams and sponsors who were the heroes of the day though, with a sea of Sue Ryder volunteers on hand to support us with everything from shaking buckets to setting up and running our tombola, selling lottery tickets, and not forgetting cheering the teams on to the finish line – thank you!
“All monies raised will go towards making sure that our hospice teams can continue to be there when it matters for families going through the most difficult times of their lives. Thank you again and we can’t wait to see you all back on the water next year!”
Alicja Mierzejewska, Executive Director at NewWave Events, organisers of the dragon boat festival, said: “I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who supported the festival in 2022! What a comeback after a few difficult years. Not only everyone had a great time, but we’ve also raised an incredible amount for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice. Thank you to Whirlpool, ESP Magazine and Escape Rooms Peterborough for their support. 2023 planning is underway, so we look forward to seeing you then and beating this year’s total!”- Alicja Mierzejewska, Executive Director at NewWave Events.
“We couldn’t have wished for a better day for the 22nd dragon boat festival and the turn out for the first year back was incredible. We are super excited for 2023 already and cannot wait to make it bigger and better for the 23rd year. Working with Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice is always a pleasure and I’m looking forward to doing it all over again for next year,” added, Lucy Morton, Executive Director at NewWave Events.
Ian Moverley, Communications Director from Whirlpool, said: “We were delighted to sponsor the return of the festival this year and help to raise funds for Sue Ryder which is close to the heart of many of our colleagues. It was a fabulous event to be involved with and we look forward to it again next year.”
If the Peterborough Dragon Boat Race has inspired to raise money for Sue Ryder visit www.sueryder/events to find out how you can involved