Dragon Boat Teams stick their oars in for Thorpe Hall Hospice!

With just over a month to go until the annual Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival, places are still available for budding paddlers.

Companies, clubs and organisations from across the region are getting their teams together ready to do battle on the waters of Peterborough Rowing Club, Thorpe Meadows on Saturday 11th June.

For some companies it’s the thrill of the competition that draws them to the event, for others it’s more about a fun day out for staff and the opportunity to raise vital funds for a fantastic local charity.

Last year, over £10,000 was raised for official charity Sue Ryder-Thorpe Hall Hospice by teams competing at the Dragon Boat Festival and there is a very special incentive to raise as much money as possible thanks to Peterborough Greyhound Stadium.

Courtesy of the Stadium, the team that raises the most money for Thorpe Hall will enjoy a night of greyhound racing from the comfort of their own private raceview suite with a sponsored race and delicious finger buffet for up to 40 people – a prize worth £600!

The Stadium will also have a team on the start line this June made up of all areas of the business; Sales and Promotions staff, the Racing Office, Marketing, Restaurant and Kitchen staff and possibly the Directors too.

Marketing Manager, Gareth Ramsden explains how the whole company benefits from getting involved, “Here at Peterborough Greyhound Stadium we try to do as much as we possibly can for charities and worthwhile causes. The Dragon Boat Challenge is a great opportunity for us all to have a bit of fun at the same time as fundraising – and we’re all extremely competitive, so it gives us something to get our teeth into! Taking part in the racing allows us to mix as a group and builds togetherness and team spirit, all concentrating on one goal. We have been advertising the Festival heavily at the Stadium and also online, so we hope to make as much money as we possibly can for Sue Ryder – Thorpe Hall Hospice”.

The 2016 Festival, supported by The Peterborough Telegraph and Connect FM, marks 25 years since Sue Ryder opened Thorpe Hall Hospice in Peterborough. Every year, Thorpe Hall has to fundraise £1.5 million to provide their incredible end of life care so the support of the dragon boat teams is vital.

To take part in the dragon boat racing and help this incredible charity, 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 spectacular flypast from a Battle of Britain Lancaster Bomber!

For more information and an entry form call Festival organisers Gable Events on 01780 470718 or visit www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/peterborough

For information about Thorpe Hall, visit www.sueryder.org/thorpehall or email [email protected]

Serpentine Green goes overboard for the Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival this June!

On a recent visit to Serpentine Green Shopping Centre in Hampton, you may have been surprised by the sound of beating drums. That’s because the shopping centre is supporting the Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival in a big way this year by playing a vibrant audio complete with drum beat over the tannoy, displaying huge colourful posters and even welcoming a full size dragon boat into the centre to officially launch the Festival in February. Since then, organisers Gable Events have seen entries flooding in from companies and organisations across the region and the latest is a Gold crew entry from Serpentine Green.

Centre Manager David Wait explains why he decided to get right behind the Festival this year, “Serpentine Green has over 35 retailers including major fashion chains such as Next, Outfit, H&M, River Island and New Look and I wanted an event that would bring everyone together and highlight that by working as a team we do things better. We are hoping our entry will inspire Queensgate Shopping Centre, Brotherhood Retail Park and Peterborough Garden Park to enter too so that we can enjoy a water-based battle of the shopping centres! We work closely with Sue Ryder – Thorpe Hall and are aiming to raise £2,500 to support the amazing work that they do in their 25th anniversary year”.

Serpentine Green’s Gold entry includes a £750 donation to Festival charity, Thorpe Hall Hospice as well as marketing benefits such as the shopping centre logo on the sides of a dragon boat, a full page advert in the souvenir programme, presentation team photo and crew gazebo. Joining David’s team on the water will be fellow Gold crew ‘The Pacemakers’ representing Peterborough’s Fitzwilliam Hospital. Last time out the Hospital team pushed hard for the top places helped by Olympic medal winning gymnast Louis Smith and members of the Peterborough Phantoms ice hockey team!

Other teams signed up so far this year include Silver crews; Amaray, Absolute Timber and Capitol Lettors plus Ballast Phoenix, Barhale, Bonacia Ltd (two crews), City Resource Ltd (two crews), KDH Projects, Masteroast Coffee Co Ltd, Peterborough Telegraph, PS Financials (two crews), Rawlinson’s and Savills who will all be competing against Sue Ryder’s own Thorpe Hall crew for the coveted winner’s trophy.

The 2016 Festival, supported by The Peterborough Telegraph and Connect FM, marks 25 years since Sue Ryder opened Thorpe Hall Hospice in Peterborough. They are using their silver anniversary year to mark everything that has been achieved thanks to the help of their thousands of supporters - as well as everything that is to come.

Every year, Thorpe Hall has to fundraise £1.3 million to provide their incredible end of life care to people across the region and Nilesh Patel, part of the fundraising team at Thorpe Hall, emphasises the importance of the Dragon Boat Festival; “The money you raise by taking part and raising sponsorship will mean we can be there to hold someone’s hand, help ease their pain or support their family after they’re gone.”

There are spaces for up to 52 crews to battle it out over the 200 metre course. Each team will race a minimum of three times, the dragon boats and all equipment are provided and no previous experience is needed. There will also be a host of bankside activity to entertain teams and spectators in between the races.

For more information and an entry form call Festival organisers Gable Events on 01780 470718 or visit www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/peterborough

For information about Thorpe Hall, visit www.sueryder.org/thorpehall or email [email protected]

The race is on to get a team together for the Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival this June!

After launching the Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival with a full size dragon boat in Serpentine Green Shopping Centre last month, organisers Gable Events have seen entries flooding in for this year’s event from companies and organisations across the region.

One team quick off the mark were Buckles Solicitors who are returning to the event in an effort to beat last year’s 24th place. The 2016 Festival is being held on Saturday 11th June on Peterborough Rowing Lake in aid of Sue Ryder-Thorpe Hall Hospice and once the racing commences, the ‘Oarsome Lawsome’ crew from Buckles won’t be looking to build any relationships with other businesses like they do so successfully in the office as they are out to win trophies as both the champions and the best dressed crew!

Crew Manager and Marketing Administrator, Jessica Hutchinson says; “We enjoyed the day so much last year we thought why not take to the water again and try to up our place on the final scoreboard. As well as it being such a fun day out for everyone, the money raised goes to such a great cause that it makes the whole day feel even more worthwhile.”

Joining Jessica’s team on the water will be ‘The Pacemakers’ team from Peterborough’s Fitzwilliam Hospital. The Hospital has chosen to enter a Gold crew again this year as it includes a £750 donation to Thorpe Hall and offers additional marketing benefits such as their company logo on the side of a dragon boat. Last time around they had a considerable advantage over other teams having persuaded Olympic medal winning gymnast Louis Smith and members of the Peterborough Phantoms ice hockey team to paddle for them!

The 2016 Festival marks 25 years since Sue Ryder opened Thorpe Hall Hospice in Peterborough. They are using their silver anniversary year to mark everything that has been achieved thanks to the help of their thousands of supporters - as well as everything that is to come.

Every year, Thorpe Hall has to fundraise £1.3 million to provide their incredible end of life care to people across the region and Nilesh Patel, part of the fundraising team at Thorpe Hall, emphasises the importance of the Dragon Boat Festival; “The money you raise by taking part and raising sponsorship will mean we can be there to hold someone’s hand, help ease their pain or support their family after they’re gone.”

Other teams signed up so far this year include PS Financials (two teams), Peterborough Telegraph, Ballast Phoenix, Barhale and Rawlinson’s who will all be competing against Sue Ryder’s own Thorpe Hall crew for the coveted winner’s trophy!

There are spaces for up to 52 crews to battle it out over the 200 metre course. Each team will race a minimum of three times, the dragon boats and all equipment are provided and no previous experience is needed. There will also be a host of bankside activity to entertain teams and spectators in between the races.

For more information and an entry form call Festival organisers Gable Events on 01780 470718 or visit www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/peterborough. For information about Thorpe Hall, visit www.sueryder.org/thorpehall or email [email protected]

Dragon Boat fun for Chinese New Year

Shoppers were given a chance to climb aboard a full size dragon boat to mark Chinese New Year at the launch of this year’s Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival.

The full-size vessel, complete with paddles, drum and dragon’s head drew curious onlookers at Serpentine Green Shopping Centre throughout the day. Members of the public were given the chance to sit in the boat, try the paddles for size and enjoy a taste of this year’s festival dished up by organisers Gable Events and charity partner Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.

Chinese New Year will be celebrated on Monday February 8, the start of the Year of the Monkey.

This year’s Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival, now in its 18th year, will take place on Saturday, June 11 at Peterborough Rowing Lake. Up to 50 teams will battle it out over the 200 metre course, cheered on by their supporters who will be able to enjoy lots of bankside fun and fundraising activities between races.

The dragon boats, qualified helms and all racing equipment will be provided, no previous experience is required and each crew is guaranteed a minimum of three races.

Crews are encouraged to raise money for Thorpe Hall Hospice before and on the day of the race.

Thorpe Hall’s head of hospice fundraising Kate Griggs said: “It was great to see so many people climbing into the boat and trying the paddles out for size. We’re hoping the launch will have sparked people’s interest and they’ll look to get a team together to take part in the Festival making it the best yet. “£100 could pay for a hospice nurse for a day so teams can make a real difference by getting involved in fundraising.”

For more information please visit www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/peterborough or contact Gable Events on 01780 470718. To speak to the Thorpe Hall fundraising team please call 01733 225999.