To celebrate Chinese New Year, the official launch of the 2018 Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival will take place from 10.30-11.30am on Friday 16 February at Melis Restaurant.
MacIntyre is the new official charity for the 2018 Festival and you are warmly invited to join them at Melis Restaurant; Exchange House, 402-404 Midsummer Boulevard, Central Milton Keynes MK9 2EA to celebrate the launch! Dragon boat racing has an ancient Chinese history and the launch is timed to coincide with the start of the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dog.
As well as representatives from MacIntyre, the staff of Festival organisers Gable Events will be on hand to answer questions about the popular, long running event which is now in its 17th year. Crews entered into the Festival will be invited to raise sponsorship for MacIntyre; Claire Kennedy and Jessie Harrison from the charity’s fundraising team will be happy to talk about how funds raised by the participants will be used to support their vital work. The national charity based in Milton Keynes supports over 1,500 children, young people and adults who have a learning disability or autism.
Gable Events will be bringing along a 30-foot dragon boat, fully dressed with paddles for guests to try out on dry land and have a go at beating the drum. Guests and media are very welcome to stay on and enjoy light refreshments and lunch in the restaurant following the photo opportunity. The highly rated Melis Turkish Restaurant is providing a special prize meal, sponsored by Merinvest, for the team raising the most sponsorship for MacIntyre at the Festival this year.
Head of Fundraising, Claire Kennedy, is delighted that MacIntyre is the official Festival charity for 2018. “Having been involved in previous years, we know what a fantastic event this is for everyone who takes part and their families and friends. Every penny raised will be used to benefit the people we support in the Milton Keynes area”.
All it takes is 17 enthusiastic people to form a crew – 16 paddlers and one drummer. There is always space for new crews to enter, or for companies who have not entered for a few years to have another go and relive past glories. The dragon boats, qualified helms and all racing equipment will be provided, no previous experience is required, and each crew is guaranteed a minimum of three races. The Festival is supported by Business MK and MKFM.
We look forward to seeing you there!
For further information, please visit: www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/miltonkeynes or call Gable Events on 01780 470 718. For information about MacIntyre, visit www.macintyrecharity.org or call 01908 230100
