Fundraisers took to the water in a day of thrilling dragon boat racing to help local people with cancer.
More than £52,000 was raised by the 14 teams who competed in glorious sunshine at Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre, with conditions on the Marine Lake proving perfect for a packed afternoon of racing.
The Clatterbridge Dragon Boat Regatta 2026 was sponsored by The Consortia Group, specialists in construction, refurbishment and maintenance, whose support helped make the event possible. Family, friends and colleagues lined the banks to cheer on the 238 competitors as they battled it out across qualifying rounds, finals and tail races throughout the day.
The qualifying rounds set the tone for an unpredictable and closely fought regatta. RALA Paddlers produced the standout performance of the morning, recording the fastest time of the entire day, 1:03.55, in their second qualifying round to head into the Major Final as favourites.
They were joined in the Major Final by B&M, HI Tide and Chlorination Street, all of whom impressed with consistently strong qualifying form. Just behind them, PIB, Weightmans Wave Riders, CUC and Dams Dragons secured their places in the Minor Final, while the remaining teams pushed on through the tail races for a final chance to climb the standings.
The Major Final delivered a dramatic finish to the day’s action. Chlorination Street, the team from Feedwater, had qualified fourth fastest but saved their best for when it mattered most. A superb time of 1:05.12 saw them surge to victory and claim the Clatterbridge Dragon Boat Regatta 2026 title, improving by more than ten seconds on their opening race of the day.
B&M pushed them all the way, finishing just 0.41 seconds behind in second place, while morning pace-setters RALA Paddlers held on for third. HI Tide rounded off the Major Final in fourth.
Final classification:
- Chlorination Street
- B&M
- RALA Paddlers
- HI Tide
- Dams Dragons
- Weightmans Wave Riders
- PIB
- CUC
- Arfon Engineering
- Wirral Rhythm Dragons
- Team Arriva
- Consortium
- Sutton Greenes
- CBL Allstars
In the final classification, Chlorination Street finished first overall and were presented with the trophy by Stephanie Whittick, from our very special Dragon Boat Race sponsors, Consortia.
Events such as the Dragon Boat Regatta show the power of community, bringing together colleagues, friends and supporters to have fun, challenge themselves and make a genuine difference. Every paddle stroke, every sponsorship pound and every cheer from the bank helps fund the charity’s work supporting local people with cancer.
Events Fundraiser Chloe Hicks said:
“We would like to thank everyone who took part in the Dragon Boat race. The conditions were perfect, the teams were all great sports, and everyone had a fabulous time. It is thanks to everyone who competed that we were able to raise more than £52,000 to help local people with cancer.”
The dragon boat race is a brilliant way to get colleagues together for team building, or simply to enjoy a fun day out with family and friends, all while raising money for a fantastic cause.
If you’re interested in taking part in an event, you can see what’s coming up at clatterbridgecharity.org/events/
