Dragons set to takeover Crawley

St Catherine’s Hospice Dragon Boat Festival is back at Tilgate Park on Sunday, September 4, returning again for another day of fantastic family fun.

This year’s free, Under The Sea themed festival takes place between 10am – 4pm, and with a range of stalls and games and a selection of local food on offer.

Michaela Clements, Events Fundraiser at St Catherine’s said, “Our Dragon Boat Festival always proves to be a fantastic day.We’re really looking forward to welcoming the local community to cheer on our supporters as they race in our Dragon Boats.’

“By coming along on the day, you’ll be helping make sure we can continue to be there to care for terminally ill people in the local community. We hope lots of you will  join us for one of our biggest and most exciting events” Michaela added.

Last year’s Dragon Boat Festival attracted more than 4,000 people to Tilgate Park as 33 teams, dressed in fancy dress, raced 40 foot dragon boats.

The record-breaking day raised more than £50,000 for St Catherine’s, with this year’s Dragon Boat Festival is sponsored by Edwards Vacuum, Just Retirement and Thermo Fisher.

All proceeds from the event will once again go directly to St Catherine’s who last year, provided expert end of life care to more than 2,000 local people across Sussex and Surrey.

With less than a third of the hospice’s running costs provided by the NHS, fundraising events like the Dragon Boat Festival are crucial to help the hospice continue to provide its vital care.

For more information, please visit: www.stch.org.uk/DragonBoatFestival, email comfun@stch.org.uk, or call St Catherine’s Events Team on 01293 447361.

By Jacob White