Over 600 people will take to the water on Sunday 11th May when the third East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival in aid of EACH returns to Oulton Broad at Nicholas Everitt Park in Lowestoft. Crews will race the thirty foot brightly painted Chinese dragon boats four at a time over a 200m course alongside Nicholas Everitt Park, watched by several thousand spectators.

The event has achieved a record entry this year with a sell-out 52 crews (18 more than last year) representing businesses and organisations from all over East Anglia. The Festival’s nominated charity, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices will be benefiting from sponsorship raised by the crews.

Trophies will be presented by East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices to the winning crew, the second, third and fourth placed crews, the team that raises the most money for EACH, the top mixed crew and the ‘best dressed’ crew. The Malaysian Delights buffet restaurant is providing an added incentive for crews to raise as much money as possible for EACH as they have donated a special banquet for the crew that raises the most.

Simon Hempsall, Marketing Manager for EACH, comments: “The majority of EACH’s costs are not for specialist equipment but for delivering the specialist one-to-one nursing care and support so vital to local children and their families. Relying as much as we do on voluntary public support, we are delighted to be the official charity for the Dragon Boat Festival once again and hope to surpass the fantastic total of £16,000 raised in 2007”.

Carol Lester, Director of Festival organisers, Gable Events added “We are absolutely thrilled with the response to the Dragon Boat Festival this year. It is fantastic that so many people will be travelling from throughout East Anglia to take part in this unique event. We hope to raise even more money for EACH through the Festival this year and have received great support from the The Lowestoft Journal, Radio Broadland, Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport and Waveney District Council. We are sure that teams and Festival visitors alike will enjoy a superb day out on 11th May”.

As well as races every 10 minutes throughout the day between 9.30am and 5.30pm, there will be plenty of family entertainment on the bank including a climbing wall, rodeo bull, bungee run, human demolition and fun fair rides. In keeping with the Chinese history of dragon boat racing, the Wing Chun Kung Fu group will be performing a colourful lion dance at 12 noon and 2pm. Street entertainers, The Grand Theatre of Lemmings will be performing two shows during the day at 11am and 3pm with a walkabout session at 1pm.

You can also find out more about the work of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices and visit the roadshow and units of Radio Broadland, the Lowestoft Journal and Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport. The Everitt Park café will be serving a wide range of food and refreshments plus there will be a beer tent and on-site caterers bringing a hog roast, crepes, coffee, smoothies, wraps and toasted sandwiches and AK Event Photography will be capturing all the memorable moments on the day.

Entrance to the Festival is free to spectators and there is plenty of on-site ‘Pay and display’ parking at Nicholas Everitt Park.

For more information on the Dragon Boat Festival contact Gable Events on 01780 470718 or visit the Festival website at www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/eastanglia.