BEATING the drum – quite literally! - at the official launch of this year’s 19th Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival were all the teams behind the return of this year’s ‘bigger and better’ 2025 event.
Celebrating at the festival’s official launch at the UK head office of sponsors Illumina were staff from Illumina, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust whose event is raising money for the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital (CCRH), organisers NewWave Events and a team from CCRH.
This year’s festival, which takes place on the River Cam at Fen Ditton on Saturday September 13th, falls during ACT’s 30th birthday year – with a new fundraising target of £50,000 and celebrations planned to make it the ‘biggest and best year yet!’ Cambridge Radio will also be reporting live from the riverbank on the day.
Mark Robinson, VP and GM, UK and Ireland, Illumina said: “Illumina is delighted to once again join forces with ACT to support the 2025 Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival. Last year, this fun-filled event saw an incredible amount of money raised for the new Cancer Research Hospital on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. It’s a great opportunity to give something back to the communities in which we live and work and we can’t wait to smash it again this year!”
Welcoming Illumina back on board, Natasha Robertson, ACT’s Corporate Partnerships Manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have Illumina as the sponsor of this year’s Dragon Boat Festival for the second year running.”
“This year marks the 19th year of the festival as well as our 30th birthday – so we are looking forward to making it our biggest and best yet. Last year we raised a staggering £37,000 with 41 teams competing and this year we are looking to raise even more money for the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.”
Celebrating what is a much-anticipated event in the Cambridge calendar, Natasha added: “Last year’s event was so much fun with some amazing fancy dress costumes so we are excited to see what the teams will pull out of the bag this year and with more teams competing and looking to raise even more money for the new cancer hospital it’s just going to add to the atmosphere on the day.”
Lucy Morton, Executive Director at NewWave Events, said they were ‘super excited’ to have Illumina back as official sponsors. “With their support, and collaboration with the team from ACT, we’re hoping to have a sell-out event raising a record amount for the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital. It’s such a fantastic day, so don’t hesitate to get involved and enter your teams before we’re sold out!”
All the money raised by teams will go towards building the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital (CCRH). The new hospital is to be built on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus by 2029 and will be the first specialist cancer hospital for the East of England. It will bring together clinical and research expertise under one roof – allowing clinicians to detect cancer earlier, treat it more precisely and save more lives.
Reminding people of the importance of the hospital, Elaine Chapman, Lead Advisory Nurse and Co-production Lead for CCRH, said: “I don’t think there is anyone who hasn’t been affected by cancer, either by experiencing your own diagnosis or seeing someone you love or know go through it. Fundraising is so important for this project, as the money raised will go directly into building a hospital that will improve the experience of patients and support research breakthroughs to treat cancer earlier with personalised medicine. Even small donations will make a big difference when added together.”
This year, Elaine – whose role is to ensure patients and both clinical and research staff are involved in the design of the new hospital – will compete for the second year running, adding: “We are thrilled to be competing in our second Dragon Boat Race and being part of a brilliant day that raises awareness of the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital project.”
The festival takes place on the River Cam at Fen Ditton with teams of 10-15 paddling 30ft boats up the river with a drummer at the front beating time and a helm at the tail.
Races start at 10am, with a prize ceremony at the end of the day. Bankside entertainment and refreshments include traditional lion dance performances. There are also funfair style rides on the day, with sponsors Illumina hosting family-friendly, fun activities including strawberry DNA extraction.
Each team completes three heats, with the 12 fastest teams going through to the semis. Three semi-final winners and the fastest runner-up go through to the final. Each boat seats up to 10 paddlers and 1 drummer. The racecourse is a 200m straight course with each race lasting anywhere between 55 and 90 seconds, with times affected by water flow and weather conditions.
Trophies are awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place as well as to the highest placed mixed crew (minimum of five female paddlers), best dressed crew and top charity fundraiser. Medals also go to the top three crews and the highest placed mixed crew.
Lucy, from NewWave Events, said: “The Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival is such a unique opportunity for both seasoned and new teams to experience the thrill of racing, with full equipment and guidance provided, making it accessible for everyone. We have a full day of activities planned along the riverbank to keep teams and spectators entertained, from food stalls and entertainment to fantastic prizes, including a special mini golf experience with bubbly and tear and share pizzas for the top fundraisers courtesy of The Tivoli in Cambridge. It’s a day of community spirit, friendly competition, and supporting ACT’s invaluable work with a new fundraising target of £50,000!”
For more information and to register your team, visit www.act4addenbrookes.org.uk/dragonboat or call NewWave Events on: (01536) 674 748.
