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The 2016 Festival takes place on Saturday 10th September on the River Cam at Fen Ditton and is one of the largest and most eagerly anticipated team events in the region. Over 40 crews representing companies, organisations, clubs and groups of friends from all over Cambridgeshire and surrounding areas are expected to battle it out over the 200m race course. They will all be seeking to knock Turner & Townsend off their pedestal as reigning champions whilst also raising vital funds for ACT.
According to the Chinese calendar the monkey is an important animal in Chinese culture and people born in the year of the monkey are said to be intelligent, confident and have excellent leadership skills. It is also said that those born in the year of the monkey are incredibly positive, energetic, fun-loving and up for a challenge. These attributes will be much-needed by all the participants in this year's Dragon Boat Challenge!
No previous experience required to take part in the dragon boat racing, just plenty of team spirit so why not take up the challenge? The dragon boats, qualified helms and all racing equipment are provided and each crew is guaranteed a minimum of three races. The Festival offers a full day of fun on land as well as water with plenty of activities on the bankside to entertain teams and spectators between races.
The Festival’s official charity is Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) and 2016 sees Addenbrooke’s Hospital celebrate its 250th anniversary! ACT is the only charity dedicated to making a difference for patients at Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie Hospitals. Whether its treatment for an emergency, acute condition, pregnancy or long term illness, ACT believe that every patient deserves the highest quality of care available. Their main aim is to continue to support the hospitals by raising funds for cutting edge technology, additional specialist services, vital research and extra comforts for patients that make all the difference over and above what would be possible through NHS funding alone.
The team raising the most money for ACT will be awarded the charity trophy and enjoy a fabulous three course meal at the recently refurbished Café Rouge Cambridge. Full of history and culture, Café Rouge Cambridge is situated on the historic Bridge Street in a stunning Grade II listed building and is the ideal location for the top fundraisers to celebrate.
Carol Lester, Director of Festival organisers, Gable Events, adds: “The Festival is a great chance for companies and organisations to try something completely different, promote themselves to a large local audience, network with local companies and potential clients and raise money for ACT. It is also a fantastic team building opportunity - what better way to get to know what makes your colleagues and competitors tick?! We expect the Festival to be another sell-out success so we recommend teams get their entries in early to guarantee a place.”
For further information and an entry form please visit
www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/cambridge or call Gable Events on 01780 470 718. To find out more about the services of ACT please call Carla Brown, Corporate Fundraising Manager on 01223 217757
Images courtesy of Vanessa Barton Photography and blog article has been provided by Gable Events.
