Dragon Boat Festival has fiery final

Jun 27 2008 Chester Chronicle

NINETEEN teams from around the country battled it out on the River Dee to become champions of Chester Dragon Boat Festival.

The day attracted a total of 400 competitors and a crowd of several thousand people for races along a 250m stretch of the river. The event raised £20,000 for various charities.

Ey Leads, a Chinese team, had travelled up from London to raise money for the China Red Cross Appeal in relation to the recent earthquake disaster.

In the grand final, less than a second separated the top four teams as they finished the race with Dee Gas just snatching victory from last year’s champions Ooh Wallah Wallah.

Organiser Julian Thursfield said: “Seeing all the boats sweeping down the river together was spectacular. It was a very successful day.”

Next year’s event takes place on Sunday, June 21, 2009. Visit www.chesterdragonboatfestival.co.uk for details.