Chinese dragons set to race to Midsummer Place

The 2008 Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival, organized by Gable Events and sponsored by Electricity4Business, is being showcased this Saturday with a full size Chinese dragon boat display inside Midsummer Place.

The Festival, taking place at Willen Lake on Sunday 29th June, has quickly become the biggest team event in MK and is one of the most eagerly anticipated spectacles in the city’s events calendar.

Visitors to Midsummer Place will be able to view the dragon boat and a display about the nominated Festival charity, Keech Cottage Children’s Hospice. A black thunder from Festival media supporters, Horizon Radio, will also be in attendance and shoppers will be able to talk to representatives of Gable Events, electricity4business, Keech Cottage and Horizon Radio about any aspect of the Festival including how to become a participating team.

Teams of up to 17 people are invited to paddle the ornate 40’ Chinese dragon boats at Willen Lake on 29th June and more than 50 crews are expected to battle it out over the 250m race course, watched by several thousand spectators. Exciting, colourful and great fun, no previous experience is required, just plenty of team spirit! The dragon boats and all racing equipment are provided and each crew is guaranteed a minimum of three races.

The Festival promises a fantastic day for competitors and spectators alike, with Chinese lion dancing and plenty of fun for all the family on the bankside. Trophies will be presented to the winning crew, the top mixed crew (minimum 7 ladies), the ‘best dressed’ crew and the crew raising the most money for Keech Cottage. The top fundraisers will also receive a Chinese buffet lunch for the whole crew at the aptly named Dragon Boat restaurant in central MK. Participating crews will be seeking to knock Routeco Muddle Puckers representing Routeco Plc off their pedestal as reigning champions.

Merklyn Hauck of Festival organisers, Gable Events, said “We are delighted that electricity4business have signed up for their second year as title sponsor of the Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival and we look forward to working with them to ensure the event this June is the best yet. With the added support of Horizon Radio, the Festival continues to grow in popularity so we recommend companies get their entries in early to guarantee a place”.

An amazing £20,000 was raised for Keech Cottage by the teams at the Dragon Boat Festival last year including over £3,500 each from Argos and the fabulously named ‘Hopelessly Sinking But Cheerful’ team representing HSBC.

Keech Cottage Children’s Hospice supports over 170 families from across Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire who are facing the loss of their child. All the children cared for by Keech Cottage have been diagnosed with a life-limiting condition and most are expected to die in childhood. The aim at Keech Cottage is to enable families to make the most of the precious time they have left with their child.

Sue Clarke, the hospice’s Corporate Fundraising Manager commented “As a charity, we rely on the generosity and goodwill of the local community to raise over 75% of annual running costs. We are delighted to have been chosen by electricity4business to be the nominated charity once again for the 2008 Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival and we hope, through the Festival, to raise as much money as possible for this vital resource”.

For further details and an entry form visit the display beside the main event area of the Boulevard (between Virgin and Gap) inside Midsummer Place at any time between 9am and 6pm this Saturday 8th March, visit the Festival website at Dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/miltonkeynes.