Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival is back for 2022 and ESP Magazine is on board!
A huge dragon boat splashed into the city at the weekend, ahead of the 22nd Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival which will take place this summer.
The brightly-coloured 30-foot-long boat was on display in the Serpentine Green shopping centre on Saturday January 29 so shoppers could see it up close and sign up to take part.
Entries are now open for the 2022 Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival, which will be held at Peterborough Rowing Club on Saturday June 11.
Teams will race across a 200-metre course on boats with a dragon’s head at the bow and a drum for keeping the beat with rowers’ strokes.
On Saturday, ESP’s Mikey Clarke popped down to meet representatives from the festival’s organiser NewWave Events, sponsor Whirlpool UK and chosen charity Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice who were on hand at Serpentine Green so shoppers could find out more. ESP is the Media Partner of the event so we’ll be keeping you up to date on all our channels but we’ll also be taking part on the day - so why not join us?
Several teams have already signed up, including organisations Whirlpool UK, ESP Magazine, Fenmarc Produce, People, Systems & Process (PSP) Ltd, BNI Synergy Peterborough and British Sugar but you could also get family or friends together and use the race to help mark a special occasion.
Alicja Mierzejewska, Executive Director of NewWave Events, said: “We can’t wait to bring the Dragon Boat Festival back to Peterborough. It promises to be a fun-filled event for all the local community to enjoy.
“Teams of up to eleven people – usually wearing fantastic fancy dress – will take to the water to battle it out over a 200-metre course. The aim is to bring everyone together in the fresh air for some friendly competition and fundraising. Dragon boat racing is a brilliant thing to do as a team, from groups of colleagues to friends and families. We hope everyone will be inspired to make waves and sign up – our dragons are ready and waiting!”
The 2022 festival will once again raise vital funds for Peterborough’s Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice. The team that raises the most money will be awarded a charity trophy and win a prize of an escape room experience at Escape Peterborough.
Nilesh Patel, the hospice’s Senior Community Fundraiser, said: “It was fantastic to see so many people on Saturday who had an appetite for having fun and taking part in the festival. We are really grateful to be the chosen charity and for the support of those in our local community. The funds raised will help us to continue to deliver our expert and compassionate care and fill someone’s last days with love.”
Ian Moverley, Public Affairs Director at Whirlpool UK, said: “We are delighted to be participating in the Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival again this year. As lead sponsors, our aim is to help raise as much money as possible for the chosen charity.
“Sue Ryder is close to the hearts of many of our colleagues here at Whirlpool, and we often get involved in volunteering and fundraising activities to support the great work they are doing. A number of our colleagues have been involved with the festival for many years – it is a brilliant day out for our teams and their families and friends.”
The 2022 Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival will take place on Saturday June 11 at Peterborough Rowing Club, Thorpe Meadows and there'll be plenty of bankside entertainment for spectators to enjoy too.
For more information and to sign up, please visit https://dragonboatevents.co.uk/peterborough-dragon-boat-festival or contact the fundraising team at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice at thorpe.fundraising@sueryder.org or on 01733 225999.
Keep an eye on ESP’s social media for all the latest news on this event and much more.