After a splashing success of an event, £31,744 was raised for WaterAid by Canary Wharf businesses during the international charity’s annual Dragon Boat Race on Thursday 6th July.
The roaring race, which took place in collaboration with the Canary Wharf Group, saw 19 organisations from London’s financial hub row their hearts out across South Dock in a thrilling event that honours the 2,000-year-old Chinese tradition.
The impressive five-hour showcase saw each team go tail-to-tail as they took turns competing in a sequence of nail-bitingly close races against the clock. In the end, it was the Churchill Group who smoked their rivals earning them the crowning title as champions of the Canary Wharf docks. Hot on their tails were returning contenders Clausematch who rowed their way to second place with Denver Electrical a sweep behind in third place.
In addition to celebrating the coveted win on the water, the Churchill Group also claimed the top spot for fundraising, soaring past the proposed £1,500 target with an impressive £3,320 total. Corps Security and Ward Security weren’t far behind either with £2,957 and £2,830 brought in by the organisations respectively.
For those that opted to dress for the occasion, there was another title on the table for best dressed. The glory was claimed by Genesis Global who reared their fierce dragon heads with pride throughout the Dragon Boat Race.
The remarkable total collected, which is an impressive £8,894 more than last year’s takings, will go towards supporting WaterAid’s vital work in delivering clean water and decent toilets to everyone, everywhere within a generation. The charity’s work is more imperative than ever as the climate crisis takes hold, intensifying the current water crisis that leaves one in 10 people without access to clean water and one in five without a basic toilet.
Corinne Stone, Senior Community and Events Officer at WaterAid, said:
“It’s easy for us to take water for granted – whether we’re drinking it, washing with it, or even racing dragon boats on it! We’re proud to have brought many teams together from Canary Wharf for this event to support WaterAid’s mission to provide clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene to communities around the world. It was an amazing day and the teams brought so much energy, fun and a healthy dose of competitive spirit which not only showed during the races but also in the incredible amount raised for such a vital cause!”
Francesca Roffe Ridgard, Arts and Events Coordinator at Canary Wharf Group said:
“Canary Wharf Group were delighted to once again sponsor the WaterAid Dragon Boat Race. The event brings together a variety of different businesses for a very special cause, filling South Dock with the sound of drums and lots of colour.”
To get involved with next year’s event, please visit https://www.wateraid.org/dragon-boat-race.
