PADDLES UP…! The Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival is back and is inviting teams to join in at Willen Lake on Saturday, July 6.
Festival organisers NewWave Events are expecting up to 48 teams to join in the fun and surpass the remarkable £16,850 fundraising achievement of 2023.
Sponsors Business MK, Pulse Magazine and MKFM are once again backing the 2024 festival and there is a new charity partner: Brain Tumour Research, a medical research charity dedicated to funding research and raising awareness of brain tumours.
2024 is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, adding an extra layer of excitement to this already vibrant dragon boat festival. NewWave Events executive director Alicja Mierzejewska says: “We’re delighted to announce the return of this event in 2024. We can’t wait to welcome back the fantastic companies that join us year after year and eagerly anticipate new additions. Our dragons are primed and ready so we’ll see you all in 2024 for an exhilarating day of fundraising and team building.”
Just like in 2023, the festival will feature 30-foot dragon boats, accommodating teams of up to 11 participants. This ensures that companies and organisations of all sizes can easily form teams. With entries now open, companies, clubs and organisations from across the region are assembling their teams to partake. The teams will represent a diverse mix of newcomers and returning crews, all sharing the common goal of enjoying a fantastic day with colleagues and friends while making a meaningful impact in their community.
Each team will participate in a minimum of three races, and all equipment is provided, with no prior experience required. A range of bankside activities will keep teams and spectators entertained.
The top fundraisers will earn a coveted charity trophy and team prize, providing an extra incentive to gather sponsorship.
NewWave Events executive director Lucy Morton says: “The Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival embodies an incredible sense of community each year and it’s wonderful to bring people together in this way for the benefit of numerous outstanding local charities.
“We are thrilled to partner with a new charity this year, Brain Tumour Research and see the good that this relationship will bring to the event with the aim of raising as many funds for a very important cause.”
Enhanced Gold and Silver entry packages are available, offering marketing benefits such as the company’s logo displayed prominently on each side of a dragon boat, as well as a substantial donation to Brain Tumour Research.
Says Matt Howarth, corporate development manager at Brain Tumour Research: “We are delighted to be the charity partner for the 2024 Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival. One in three people knows someone affected by a brain tumour, and the disease kills more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.
“With so many people affected, it’s vital we continue our work to raise awareness, to fund research at our Centres of Excellence and to lobby the government and the larger charities to invest more.
“As a Milton Keynes-based charity, we hope lots of teams will get behind our cause and help raise vital funds so that we can improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, find a cure.”
For more details and the entry form, click here or contact dragonboatevents@newwave-events.co.uk. Find out more about Brain Tumour Research at https://braintumourresearch.org/.
