Last Chance to Enter!

Posted on 23rd May 201726th May 2017 by Gable Events

Last chance to make a splash at the Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival on Sunday 25th June!

In a few weeks’ time Willen Lake in Milton Keynes will reverberate to the sound of beating drums and there is still time to get your team together and join in the fun!

The Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival, supported by Business MK and MKFM, celebrates its 16th anniversary on Sunday 25th June and around half the teams that take part each year are new - so why not join them on the start line next month? The 2017 event promises to be extra special as it will be one of numerous events happening across the region to help Milton Keynes celebrate its 50th birthday.

As Festival Charity, Age UK Milton Keynes is urging every team to help reduce loneliness and isolation among older people by raising vital funds for them. The local charity has been encouraged by the speed at which the ten Gold and Silver entry packages sold out this year but they need to raise £15,000 from sponsorship and donations. Every penny raised supports the crucial services Age UK Milton Keynes provides.

Action Express, Blum UK, BSH Home Appliances, Calverton Finance, FibreFab Ltd, SMC Pneumatics, Topdril, AC Flooring, De Vere Horwood Estate and PJ Care have all opted for the enhanced entry packages and will be joined by over 30 standard crews who have already booked their place on the start line.

Finding the right name for your crew is essential – Lohmann Technologies have plumped for “LOH Mann Left Behind” whilst Forticrete Ltd’s two teams are “Fortiover” and “Fortiunder”. Unsurprisingly “Landmark Whole Sailors” belong to Landmark Wholesale.

The dragon boats, qualified helms and all racing equipment are provided by organisers Gable Events and each crew is guaranteed a minimum of three races. No previous experience is needed to take part in the dragon boat racing, just plenty of team spirit and enthusiasm. Medals and trophies for the top three crews, top mixed crew and the ‘best dressed’ crew are up for grabs. The top fundraising crew will also receive a fabulous £350 voucher towards a delicious celebratory meal at Zen Garden Oriental Buffet restaurant in Milton Keynes – a great incentive.

As well as the dragon boat racing, crews and their families will be able to enjoy a whole variety of bankside entertainment including a funfair, inflatables, food stalls - and even a special flypast by a Dakota aircraft, one of the most iconic aircraft from military history.

Check our last years festival;

For further information and an entry form visit: www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/miltonkeynes or call Gable Events on 01780 470 718. For information about Age UK Milton Keynes visit www.ageukmiltonkeynes.org.uk or call 01908 550700

Gold and Silver Sponsorship Sold Out!

Posted on 24th April 201725th April 2017 by Gable Events

Local companies go overboard for the Dragon Boat Festival!

With over two months to go until this year’s Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival takes place at Willen Lake on Sunday 25^th June, local companies have been quick to snap up the sponsorship opportunities. Organisers Gable Events report that the maximum 10 Gold and Silver sponsorship packages have sold out in record time! This is fantastic news for Festival charity, Age UK Milton Keynes as they will benefit from the enhanced entry donations as well as the crews’ fundraising efforts.

It’s good news too for any local company wishing to get involved this year as there’s still plenty of time to get a team together to ‘race the dragon’ for a great cause whilst helping the city with its 50^th birthday celebrations.

The ten Gold and Silver entrants who will enjoy seeing their logo on the sides of a dragon boat amongst other profile-raising benefits are Action Express, BSH Home Appliances, Calverton Finance, FibreFab, Blum UK, SMC Pneumatics, Topdrill, De Vere Horwood Estate, AC Flooring Ltd and PJ Care. They will be joined by a complete mix of new and returning entrants who have already booked their places including 1Life, Landmark Wholesale Lohmann Technologies, Kids Play, Rockwell Collins and Age UK Milton Keynes.

One of the many new teams on the start line this year will be the Silver crew representing De Vere Horwood Estate. The country house hotel and conference venue employs 160 staff and General Manager, Joanne White, is looking forward to taking to the water for the first time. She says, “We feel that fundraising through a fun, challenging and competitive event like the Dragon Boat Festival is an excellent way to team build and spend quality time with our colleagues whilst getting to know them a little better. We have set ourselves a team target of £1,500 for Age UK Milton Keynes. We have a strong team of 15 colleagues, across all aspects of our business and we are setting up some team ‘training’ sessions to build our rowing muscles. We hope to win or at least finish in the top 5!”

Age UK Milton Keynes is looking forward to supporting and promoting the fundraising activities of the competing teams that raise vital funds for their services. This is a critical time for older people in the community and Age UK Milton Keynes needs to be able to offer support to those who are the most isolated and lonely, many of whom are in their eighties and nineties or even older. There are ever-increasing pressures on these resources and the demand will continue to grow as we all move towards later life.

The top fundraisers for Age UK Milton Keynes will win the Charity trophy plus a voucher worth up to £350 towards a celebratory meal at Zen Garden Oriental Buffet Restaurant in Central Milton Keynes.

To take part in the dragon boat racing on 25^th June 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. There will also be a variety of bankside entertainment to enjoy such as funfair rides, children’s activities, food stalls and even a flypast from a Battle of Britain Dakota! The Festival is supported by Business MK and MKFM and is part of the MK50 celebrations.

Check our last years festival;

First Teams to Enter

Posted on 1st March 20172nd March 2017 by

Local companies get fired up for the Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival!

Companies, clubs and organisations from across the region have been getting their teams together and signing up to take part in this year’s eagerly anticipated Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival in aid of Age UK Milton Keynes. The Festival, supported by Business MK and MKFM, takes place at Willen Lake on Sunday 25th June and there’s still plenty of time to raise a team and get involved!

The Dragon Boat Festival attracts up to 60 companies each year - a complete mix of new and returning crews and all with the same aim in mind - to enjoy a fabulous day out with colleagues and friends and make a difference in their community.

One of the new entrants to take up the challenge this year is Blum UK. Based in Kingston, Milton Keynes, Blum delivers kitchen fittings all over the country and has grown substantially over the last five years, now with well over 50 employees. Their crew manager and sales administrator, Emma Fletcher explains why they are giving it a go, “We hope that it will improve the bonds between those within the company taking part. Also, it will be nice to let people attending the event know what Blum do as everyone has a kitchen and unbeknown to them they could be using Blum on a daily basis. The team includes men and women from all over the business, we do have some characters taking part and you will definitely see us coming if the t-shirts we are thinking about work out…get your sunglasses on! The dragon boat challenge is one of the main events in the Milton Keynes calendar and this year we want Blum to be involved and shine orange… go the Buk-ineers!”

Blum is one of several entrants opting for the enhanced Gold and Silver entry packages which include the profile and fundraising benefits of the company’s logo on each side of a dragon boat as well as a significant donation to Age UK Milton Keynes. Other early entrants include Topdrill Ltd and SMC Pneumatics Ltd (Gold crews), PJ Care and AC Flooring Ltd (Silver crews) as well as standard entries from Braai Shack Restaurant, Interserve and the team representing Festival charity Age UK Milton Keynes.

The top fundraisers for Age UK Milton Keynes will win the Charity trophy plus a voucher worth up to £350 towards a celebratory meal at Zen Garden Oriental Buffet Restaurant in Central Milton Keynes.

To take part in the dragon boat racing and help raise money for Age UK Milton Keynes, 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. There will also be a variety of bankside entertainment to enjoy such as funfair rides, children’s activities and food stalls.