As Summer drew to a close this year, our Newcastle team spent one sunny Saturday paddling down the Tyne for a charity Dragon Boat Racing event on the Quayside.
Newcastle’s Dragon Boat Race is an annual event hosted by NE1 to raise money for charity whilst having a fun-filled day and bringing the community together. This year money was raised for The Great North Children’s Hospital Foundation, part of Newcastle Hospitals Charity, which supports the many children and their families who attend hospital for treatment and care, making their hospital experience the best it possibly can be.
The foundation supports life-changing research, cutting-edge equipment and technology as well as projects to make the hospital more welcoming for children.
After a breakfast butty and a warmup, the team were ready to take on the challenge! Captained by Jake Collins-May, the team named themselves ‘Smaug on the Tyne’ and took part in 3 races which left them in 7th place overall out of 20+ teams, not bad for a first attempt!
Sarang and James took it in turns to play the crucial role of the Drummer – sitting precariously high up on a stool at the head of the boat and providing a rhythm for the team to paddle to!
Thank you to everyone who got involved in yet another fantastic charity event for TNEI.
The team enjoyed a few well-deserved refreshments after the race and all agreed they would return to the Dragon Boat race next year hoping for a win!
