The Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) have entered a team in the upcoming Rotary Dragon Boat Festival to help raise funds for their cause.
The team, called “The Flying Dragons” is made up of members of charity staff, a trustee, paramedics, former patients and staff from the charity’s corporate partners, and will take part in the Dragon Boat race on Sunday 9th June 2013 at the Baltic Wharf in Bristol Docks.
A Dragon Boat is similar to a long canoe, and requires a crew of 17 including a drummer to participate in each race plus three reserves. During the day, there will be a series of heats over a course of approximately 250 metres and the first race will start at 10.00 a.m. with the final at around 5.00 p.m. Each team will race in at least three heats and the best two times count. The fastest six teams will then go through to the semi-finals and finals.
The charity, which provides an air ambulance service for the 2.1m people of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Gloucestershire and part of West Wiltshire, receives no funding from the Government or the National Lottery and relies on public donations to keep its helicopter flying.
The funds that will be raised during the Dragon Boat Festival will go towards the charity’s operating costs, which are approximately £1.5m each year.
Robert Weeks, a former patient of GWAAC said: “As a family that has previously benefited from the work of the charity, I was keen to help raise money as I’m aware that the charity relies on public donations to continue helping others. I’m also sure it’ll be a lot of fun on the day, if not a little painful on the arms!”
Richard Riley, also a former patient of GWAAC, added: “I wanted to be part of The Flying Dragons Team because GWAAC did everything they could to help me and I want to do something in return.”
To find out more about The Flying Dragons and to sponsor them for this challenge, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/gwaacflyingdragons
