Rotary Dragon Boat Race

July 2010

Dragon boat racing is an ancient Chinese tradition and one of the fastest growing and most exhilarating water sports you can participate, with no experience needed – just plenty of team spirit. Traditional 40ft Dragon Boats accommodate 16 paddlers and a drummer. Following last year’s successful event, Wilkes Group were thrilled to be given the opportunity once again to enter their team, ‘Wilkes Water Warriors’, in the Huddersfield and Wakefield Rotary Club Dragon Boat Challenge, providing an exciting day for employees and their families where the emphasis throughout the day is on challenge, team building, fund raising and of course ...FUN! Pugneys Country Park in Wakefield was the ideal venue for the 250m race course. The weather was in our favour and a fabulous family day began, watched by hundreds of spectators enjoying the warm sunshine, magnificent view of the lake, music, BBQ’s and the competitive team spirit instilled by the 24 Dragon Boat crews battling it out in an effort to reach the Major Final hoping to compete for the Rotary Club’s Dragon Boat Challenge Trophy. We thoroughly enjoyed a memorable action-packed day, received lots of support from families and friends and in doing so, managed to raise an amazing amount of £1,133.50 for two very worthy charities, Macmillan Nurses and The Candlelighters Trust (supporting young people with cancer). Oh, and it seems our friendly competitive spirit must have crept in there somewhere as it was an unexpected yet pleasant surprise for ‘Wilkes Water Warriors’ to be awarded with an attractive marble Ladies’ Team Trophy which now sits proudly in our Reception! Overall, a great Dragon Boat Event, great people, great organisation – can’t wait to do it again!

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