Croud at the Dragon Boat Festival
After a two year hiatus, the Severn Hospice’s greatly anticipated annual Dragon Boat Festival returned to the Severn, with two Croud teams taking to the waters!
The two-day fundraiser, which has been a staple event in the Shrewsbury calendar, finally returned after the pandemic halted festivities in both 2020 and 2021.
Taking place at the Pengwern Boat Club, over 30 teams from the local community participated across the weekend, including 32 rowers from Croud. In full spirit, our two teams, 'Full of Ship', and ‘Team Sharkbait' got dressed up - sporting a very fitting sailor theme this year - and after some fiercely competitive heats throughout the day, came a respectable third place. We’ll be trying for the winning spot next year…so watch this space!
The event was a blast for both competitors and spectators alike, with supporters lining the banks of the river Severn to cheer on their teams. A huge thank you to all Croud friends and family (and dogs!) who came along, especially those who helped with a pretty intense BBQ-ing session of around 200 burgers and hotdogs!
Ananda de Abreu, Croud’s Paid Social Account Manager, and also Team Captain for Full of Ship, said, “The day was a fantastic team building exercise with the added bonus of assistance towards a worthy cause. It was great to have so many people from different departments come out and even non-Croud tagalongs joining the event. While we may have come third, it was an impressive effort by the Sharkbait Team, and while Full of Ship may not have been the winning team - we were definitely the loudest!”.
The fundraiser
The fundraiser helps to raise money for the Severn Hospice charity, supporting the vital work and care which they provide. The charity gives specialist care and support, free of charge to those families and people living with terminal illnesses, touching the lives of so many each year. Croud was immensely proud to sponsor this year’s event, and as always, had a brilliant time taking part.
Jess Druce, from Severn Hospice's fundraising team said: "Our Dragon Boat Festival for 2022 was an enormous success and it is fair to say that everyone really enjoyed themselves. It was wonderful to see all the teams on the water and spectators soaking up the atmosphere on the riverbanks. There were some brilliant fancy dress costumes, and everyone really gave it their all. Dragon Boats is our headline fundraiser event and as we have not been able to hold the festival for two years because of the pandemic, this year's was even more spectacular. Our loyal and generous supporters enable us to care for thousands of local people living with incurable illness. We are so grateful to Croud for their support, and we hope their day at our festival was as memorable for them as it was for us."
You can see additional coverage of the races in the Shropshire star.
