Hallmark’s ‘Pork Pie Paddlers’ take part in Dragon Boat Challenge
On Sunday 4th August, Hallmark took part in the highly anticipated 11th Nottingham Riverside Festival Dragon Boat Challenge, in aid of Rainbows Hospice.
The fastest growing water activity in the UK, dragon boat racing is an ancient Chinese tradition and involves up to 10 people paddling a 30ft boat with a drummer at the front beating time.
Hallmark’s mixed team of 10 was named ‘Pork Pie Paddlers’ – a nod to the company’s Melton-Mowbray roots. The crew battled it out on the 200m race course and won third place in the mixed team category, and 11th place overall.
Teams from across the East Midlands took part in three heats on the River Trent, with the fastest nine qualifiers going through to the semi-finals. Pork Pie Paddlers missed the semi-final by just one second.
Commenting on the event, Hallmark Managing Director Philip Hall said: “We had a great day out with plenty of laughs, particularly when watching another team capsize!
“I was unfortunately the only team member who forgot to dress in our team colour (white), but this did not dampen our team spirit, and we rowed our way to podium place.”
He added: “The Dragon Boat Challenge seems to get bigger each year and the festival atmosphere was brilliant. It was great to be part of such an enjoyable event for a worthy cause – our team hasn’t stopped talking about it!”
