It’s May and teams are counting down to Sunday May, 12th and this years’ Dragon Boat Festival at Gloucester Docks.
The charity event is once again organised by the Rotary Club of Gloucester Severn, and is set to see teams racing across the day aiming to be the top team on the day.
The races start beneath the swing bridge on Llanthony Road and finish more or less level with “Greek at the Docks” at Merchants Quay. The course is roughly 300 metres long. The first race of the day is at approximately 10.30am and the final one at approximately 4pm. There are 18 rounds of heats that build to the semi-finals and final later in the day.
Nick Bishop, one of the organisers for the Rotary Club, said: “Dragon boat racing originated in China 2,000 years ago. It involves up to 10 rowers sitting side by side in a 30-foot-long canoe, with a helm to steer and a drummer sitting up high in front, beating out the rhythm. The boats are fitted with a colourful dragon’s head and are a truly impressive sight at speed.
Nick added: “All funds raised during the event will go towards charities that our Rotary Club support, but our main beneficiary from the festival is our headline charity Young Gloucestershire. The modern world can throw a lot at the young people of today. No matter what their situation, YG provides opportunities and support to help young people to achieve their goals.
“By working and supporting YG we want to aid the staff, youth workers, trainers and advisers to do what they can to ensure that the young people in our community get the most out of the opportunities that come their way.
“Needless to say, that we can’t get events like this up and running without the help of our main sponsor. Once again GR Lanes Health have continued to support the event and we are very grateful. We are also grateful to those teams that have signed up this year and will make the day an enjoyable one.”
