Thrills and spills at annual dragon boat race

Three boats with 10 paddlers each are on the water in a city's docks. They are all wearing lifejackets and there are buildings visible, ringing the water's edge, with dozens of spectators watching too

The event sold out for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic

Ross Pollard
GloucestershireGloucester

An annual dragon boat race made a big splash this year as competitors battled to become masters of an historic city's waterways.

Twenty-one enthusiastic - some possibly unprepared - teams took part in the Gloucester Dragon Boat Festival along the River Severn to raise money for charities around the county.

What they lacked in experience, the crews made up for in creativity, sporting banana costumes, nurses' outfits and even top hats to stand out.

Organised by the city's Rotary Club, the event is now in its 25th year, with spots in the race selling out this time for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Two boats with 10 paddlers each are on the water in a city's docks. They are visibly straining to paddle hard to keep pace with each other

Mayhem: Participants only got a short briefing on land before piling into their vessels and making for the start line. Some joked they were just trying to stay dry, but just about everyone ended up with what Dame Mary Berry would describe as "a soggy bottom" before the event was over.

Two boats with 10 paddlers each are on the water in a city's docks, paddling towards the camera

Push the boat out: Many of the teams were made up of staff from businesses and charities around Gloucestershire. One participant said: "It's great team building, everyone turns out and it's great to see all the kids having fun and there's a great atmosphere on the docks."

Seven people are wearing banana costumes standing in a row, and a single person is wearing a bear costume. They are standing and looking at the camera smiling.

Go bananas: The staff at Tewkesbury-based digital security firm PentonAmio said there was no "rhyme or reason" to their banana costumes, with one saying: "It's just something fun that gets us out on the water."

The crew did not have a single rower among them, and as one put it: "We've got no idea, we've just had a briefing and away we go."

Two rows of people in nurses outfits are standing and kneeling, looking at the camera and smiling.

Scrubbed up: Nursing and medical staff at Gloucester's Churchdown GP surgery donned their scrubs to take part in the race as part of a year of fundraising for different charities.

One member of staff joked their costumes were they only preparation they had managed to do, saying: "We'll be fine as long as we have a bit of fun and no one ends up wet."

Many people are standing on the edge of Gloucester Docks, standing in between large flags and red brick buildings.

Land ahoy: Since its inception, the dragon boat race has raised more than £600,000 for local charities. Hundreds of onlookers turned out for the event and to cheer on relatives attempting the race.

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