(Dragon) Boat Race for all! Posted on 28th March 2018 by Gable Events The Nottingham Riverside Festival Dragon Boat Challenge – a Boat Race for all! If the annual University Boat Race has inspired you to take to the water and try something different this summer, why not get some colleagues/friends together and enter a team in the 10th Nottingham Riverside Festival Dragon Boat Challenge? The Dragon Boat Challenge has become one of the most popular corporate team events in the region and there’s plenty of time to get a team together and guarantee a place on the start line on the River Trent at Victoria Embankment, Nottingham on Sunday 5th August. You don’t need the physique of Sir Steve Redgrave or Dame Katherine Grainger to be successful as dragon boat racing caters for people of all shapes, sizes and levels of fitness. No previous experience is required to take part, just plenty of team spirit and enthusiasm! Under the expert guidance of a qualified helm, provided by Challenge organisers Gable Events, your crew of up to 11 people will soon be paddling in time and bonding together as you race towards the finish line over the 200m race course. Each team gets three attempts to improve their race times with everyone having an equal chance of reaching the semi-finals. For Encore Property Management Group, this will be their second year at the event and Associate Director, Tom Hopson, is looking forward to another fun day out with his team, “When we entered last year we saw it as an opportunity for our Nottingham team to get together and do something fun but worthwhile. We had recently expanded by recruiting several new members of staff so it was a chance for them to get to know their colleagues. They enjoyed it so much they asked if they could do it again! The benefit to the company is that the staff have to work together as a team and that transfers really well to the office environment” Teams and spectators also benefit from being part of one of the region’s largest family festivals with a bustling fair and vibrant mix of music, dance, crafts and food from around the world, staged by Nottingham City Council. Notts TV and Business Link East Midlands are media partners to the Dragon Boat Challenge All the entered teams will be encouraged to raise sponsorship for the Challenge’s official charity, Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People, and help make a difference to over 380 children and their families that the charity supports across the East Midlands. Tom Stanyard, Corporate Partnership Fundraiser at Rainbows, said, “The Dragon Boat Challenge is an amazing event. With up to 50 companies competing for a number of prizes the day has a great atmosphere. More amazing than the event however is what Rainbows is able to do with the fundraising support we receive from the crews taking part. With only a small amount of guaranteed funding, your support at events like this makes it possible for us to help and care for those families who need it most.” The top fundraisers for Rainbows will win the charity trophy plus a special prize lunch kindly donated by Forty Four Bridgford, an independent cocktail bar and kitchen in Nottingham. For more information and an entry form please call Gable Events on 01780 470718 or visit www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/nottingham. For information about the services of Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People call Tom Stanyard on 01509 283919 or visit www.rainbows.co.uk
The Boat Race For All Posted on 27th March 201828th March 2018 by Gable Events The Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival – a Boat Race for all! If the annual University Boat Race has inspired you to take to the water and try something different this summer, why not get some colleagues/friends together and enter a team in the 17th Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival? The Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival, in aid of new charity partner MacIntyre, has become one of the biggest corporate team events in the region and there’s plenty of time to get a crew together and guarantee a place on the start line at Willen Lake on Saturday 23rd June. You don’t need the physique of Sir Steve Redgrave or Dame Katherine Grainger to be successful as dragon boat racing caters for people of all shapes, sizes and levels of fitness. No previous experience is required to take part, just plenty of team spirit and enthusiasm! Under the expert guidance of a qualified helm, provided by organisers Gable Events, your crew of up to 17 people will soon be paddling in time and bonding together as you race towards the finish line over the 200m race course. Each team gets three attempts to improve their race times with everyone having an equal chance of reaching the semi-finals. Of 49 crews last year, two out of the four top-placed teams were first-time entrants in to the Festival including eventual winners ‘Aero Tec Pirates’ representing ATL Ltd. Based in Kiln Farm, Milton Keynes, ‘Calverton Capsizers’ representing Calverton Finance are regular entrants and crew manager Tasha Cox explains why the Dragon Boat Festival is the first event to go into the staff calendar every year, “We were first introduced to the Festival by a key client of ours six years ago and since then we have been hooked! We always enter the Gold membership where a donation of £750 goes straight to the Festival charity. Our employees, friends and family get excited for this time of the year and, being as competitive as we are, we look to better our scores each time. Our ‘buzz’ for the race starts as soon as we sign up for the event and is a great talking point with many prospective clients. We do not have any hierarchy within Calverton and everyone gets involved including our company directors!” All the entered teams this year are being encouraged to raise sponsorship for MacIntyre, a national charity based in Milton Keynes that supports over 1,200 children, young people and adults who have a learning disability or autism. As well as raising vital funds, the Dragon Boat Festival, supported by MKFM and Business MK, will provide the charity with an opportunity to raise its profile within the corporate sector and the wider community. The top fundraisers for MacIntyre will win the Charity trophy plus a special prize meal, sponsored by Merinvest, at highly rated Melis Restaurant in Central Milton Keynes. MacIntyre’s Head of Fundraising, Claire Kennedy, adds, “Having been involved in previous years, we know what a fantastic event this is for everyone who takes part and their families and friends. Every penny raised will be used to benefit the people we support in the Milton Keynes area”. For further information and an entry form visit: www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/miltonkeynes or call Gable Events on 01780 470 718. For information about MacIntyre, visit www.macintyrecharity.org or call 01908 230100
A Boat Race For All Posted on 27th March 201828th March 2018 by Gable Events The East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival – a Boat Race for all! If the annual University Boat Race has inspired you to take to the water and try something different this summer, why not get some colleagues/friends together and enter a team in the 12th East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival? The East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival, with new title sponsor Warner Leisure Hotels, has become one of the most popular corporate team events in the region and there’s plenty of time to get a team together and guarantee a place on the start line on Oulton Broad in Lowestoft on Saturday 11th August. You don’t need the physique of Sir Steve Redgrave or Dame Katherine Grainger to be successful as dragon boat racing caters for people of all shapes, sizes and levels of fitness. No previous experience is required to take part, just plenty of team spirit and enthusiasm! Under the expert guidance of a qualified helm provided by Festival organisers Gable Events, your crew of up to 11 people will soon be paddling in time and bonding together as you race towards the finish line over the 200m race course. Each team gets three attempts to improve their race times with everyone having an equal chance of reaching the semi-finals. Last year, three out of the five top-placed teams were first-time entrants into the Festival! Leading web design, IT support and digital marketing agency, Netmatters based in Wymondham, are regular entrants (and previous champions) and Director, Chris Gulliver explained how taking part in the Festival has helped his business, “We enter for team bonding, to promote a healthy living culture within the workplace and to motivate and inspire not only those working here at Netmatters but also those we work with. Paddlers and non-paddlers, their friends and family are all encouraged to get involved which strengthens relationships inside and outside the workplace. A positive atmosphere brings with it a whole raft of benefits, motivated team spirits translate directly into efficiency and productivity”. New this year the Festival, supported by Lowestoft Journal, will be an open charity event with entrants invited to raise money for the charity of their choosing. Teams opting for the popular gold and silver entry packages, which include a charity donation as well as marketing benefits, can also nominate their favourite charity to benefit from their donation. Specialising in UK short activity breaks for adults, Warner Leisure Hotels will have two teams entered into the event from Lowestoft representing their Gunton Hall and Corton Coastal Villages, both will be fundraising for their partner charity Macmillan Cancer Support. For further information and an entry form, visit www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/eastanglia or call Festival organisers Gable Events on 01780 470718. For information about Warner Leisure Hotels, visit www.warnerleisurehotels.co.uk or call 01442 863245.
A Boat Race For All Posted on 27th March 201828th March 2018 by Gable Events The Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival – a Boat Race for all! If the annual Oxford v Cambridge University Boat Race has inspired you to take to the water and try something different this summer, why not get some colleagues/friends together and enter a team in the 14th Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival? The Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival in aid of Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) takes place on the River Cam at Fen Ditton on Saturday 8th September and there’s plenty of time to get a team together and guarantee a place on the start line. You don’t need the physique of Sir Steve Redgrave or Dame Katherine Grainger to be successful as dragon boat racing caters for people of all shapes, sizes and levels of fitness. No previous experience is required to take part, just plenty of team spirit and enthusiasm! Under the expert guidance of a qualified helm, provided by organisers Gable Events, your crew of up to 11 people will soon be paddling in time and bonding together as you race towards the finish line over the 200m race course. Each team gets three attempts to improve their race times with everyone having an equal chance of reaching the semi-finals. Of 47 crews last year, three out of the four top-placed teams were first-time entrants in to the Festival including eventual winners Cambridge Medical Robotics! Sitec Infrastructure Services from Waterbeach entered the Dragon Boat Festival for the first time last year achieving third place overall and crew manager, Taryn Caleno, had this to say about the event, “We are always so busy as a company with a number of different teams working for separate clients and types of work. We find it difficult to fit traditional team building away days into our schedule so the Dragon Boat Festival is a great opportunity to link in our social side with an element of team building too!” Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust is the only charity dedicated to making a difference for patients at Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie Hospitals and Emily Willdigg, ACT’s Events Fundraiser is looking forward to building on the success of last year’s event, “We hope that businesses will support our much-loved hospitals by getting a team together. With the help of many generous supporters, we can provide funds so that our local hospitals can offer the very best care day after day, year after year.” The Festival, supported by Cambridge Edition, promises a fantastic day for competitors and spectators alike with Chinese themed entertainment, children’s rides, inflatable activities and plenty of food and drink for all the family on the bankside. The team raising the most money for ACT will be awarded the charity trophy and enjoy a fabulous private group cookery evening event of sushi making at Cambridge Cookery, the award-winning cookery school and neighbourhood bistro and café. For further information and an entry form please call Gable Events on 01780 470718 or visit www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/cambridge. To find out more about the vital work of Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust please call Emily Willdigg, Events Fundraiser on 01223 349885 or visit www.act4addenbrookes.org.uk