Photograph courtesy of James Lathlane
The fourth annual Newark Dragon Boat Festival has raised nearly £46,000 for two of the town’s charities.
The event, which took place on Sunday, September 17, at Riverside Park, saw crowds turn out to support and cheer on the teams and make the most of the free family fun day. The profit from the event will be split evenly between Beaumond House Hospice Care and the Children’s Bereavement Centre, meaning both charities will receive nearly £23,000 each.
Many of the local companies, organisations and community groups worked hard to secure sponsorship to take part in the Dragon Boat Race on the River Trent. 35 teams battled it out but there could only be one winner with “CF Surfers” from CF Construction, taking the crown of Dragon Boat Champions 2023, closely followed by “Usain Boat” from SAB Carpentry and Landscaping and in third place “Absolutely Oarful” from Blueprint Gaming.
Taking the title of Most fundraised Team was “The Barcode’s Ark” from The Barcode Warehouse who raised a staggering £3,774 and best dressed was awarded to “Digital Space Cadets” from Digital Space who looked amazing in their orange astronaut suits.
Rachel Wilson, Fundraising Manager at the Children’s Bereavement Centre said,
“There is an incredible amount of work that goes into organising such a big event with the planning beginning many months ago and involving lots of different people. Thank you to all the people who made this year’s festival possible. To our headline sponsors GXO and Newark and Sherwood District Council as well as all the teams, our event partners, suppliers, the many volunteers who gave up their time and of course to the local people who came out to watch and support us.
Last year, the Children’s Bereavement Centre supported more than a thousand local children and their families during one of the most traumatic times in their lives. Despite this, demand for our service remains unprecedently high and our wait list is longer than it’s ever been, but thanks to support from our local community at events like the Dragon Boat Festival our help is available now, and into the future. Our services are offered completely free of charge and these funds will have a huge impact here at the Children’s Bereavement Centre.”
Matt Colbourne, Head of Fundraising and Communications at Beaumond House said,
“The Newark Dragon Boat Festival is one of the biggest fundraising events for both charities, and we are overwhelmed with the support from the community and local businesses. To be able to organise an event that brings the whole community together for a fantastic day of fun and fundraising is amazing and we are absolutely thrilled with the fundraising total this year. Thank you to everyone who supported us.
At Beaumond House, we continue to offer Day Therapy, In-patients, and Hospice at Home, along with complementary therapy and bereavement support.
This year, Beaumond House needs to raise around 1.1 million pounds. The funds raised from the Newark Dragon Boat Festival are vital to the continued operation of the hospice, meaning that our core services are available free of charge to patients and their families, when every moment matters.”
Both charities have confirmed that the Newark Dragon Boat Festival will be back next year on Sunday, September 15th 2024. For all updates, please visit www.newarkdragonboatfestival.co.uk