Dragon boat racing is a fun watersport which comes from China. The forty foot long dragon boats are brightly painted and decorated with dragon's head and tail. Each crew has sixteen paddlers with a drum to keep time and a steerer to control the boat.
The first Cambridge Dragon Boat Regatta that Oxfam was involved with took place on the River Cam at Ditton Meadows on Saturday 12 September 1998. The aim was to raise money for Oxfam and local charity Cam Sight, and to have fun.
Despite the rain, we all had a great time on the day. People from both charities managed to get a crew together, and despite coming last we found out how much fun Dragon Boat racing is!
There was lots of interest in the Regatta from the media, including TV reports and interviews, and intensive coverage in the local papers. It was a good opportunity for us to get across Oxfam's message.
Altogether the first Regatta raised a magnificent £1477 for Oxfam's work, and a similar amount for Cam Sight.
Paddled again! The Cambridge Dragon Boat Regatta worked again with Oxfam in 1999, on the 11 September. The even more magnificent sum of £1977 was raised for Oxfam. We were particularly impressed with how much sponsorship everyone got this time - thank you!
Oxfam would like to thank everybody at the Cambridge Dragon Boat Club and all the crews that entered for making both regattas very successful days. You've raised lots of money for two excellent causes!
You can find out more about the regatta at its official site.
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