Canary Wharf businesses splash their way to £31,744 in annual Dragon Boat Race for WaterAid

Posted by
Safeeyah Kazi
on
12 July 2023
Dragon Boat Race, London. July 2023
Image: WaterAid/ Richard Blaxall

After a splashing success of an event, £31,744 was raised for WaterAid by Canary Wharf businesses during the international charity’s annual Dragon Boat Race on Thursday 6th July.

The roaring race, which took place in collaboration with the Canary Wharf Group, saw 19 organisations from London’s financial hub row their hearts out across South Dock in a thrilling event that honours the 2,000-year-old Chinese tradition.

The impressive five-hour showcase saw each team go tail-to-tail as they took turns competing in a sequence of nail-bitingly close races against the clock. In the end, it was the Churchill Group who smoked their rivals earning them the crowning title as champions of the Canary Wharf docks. Hot on their tails were returning contenders Clausematch who rowed their way to second place with Denver Electrical a sweep behind in third place.

In addition to celebrating the coveted win on the water, the Churchill Group also claimed the top spot for fundraising, soaring past the proposed £1,500 target with an impressive £3,320 total. Corps Security and Ward Security weren’t far behind either with £2,957 and £2,830 brought in by the organisations respectively.

For those that opted to dress for the occasion, there was another title on the table for best dressed. The glory was claimed by Genesis Global who reared their fierce dragon heads with pride throughout the Dragon Boat Race.  

The remarkable total collected, which is an impressive £8,894 more than last year’s takings, will go towards supporting WaterAid’s vital work in delivering clean water and decent toilets to everyone, everywhere within a generation. The charity’s work is more imperative than ever as the climate crisis takes hold, intensifying the current water crisis that leaves one in 10 people without access to clean water and one in five without a basic toilet.

Corinne Stone, Senior Community and Events Officer at WaterAid, said:

“It's easy for us to take water for granted – whether we're drinking it, washing with it, or even racing dragon boats on it! We’re proud to have brought many teams together from Canary Wharf for this event to support WaterAid’s mission to provide clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene to communities around the world. It was an amazing day and the teams brought so much energy, fun and a healthy dose of competitive spirit which not only showed during the races but also in the incredible amount raised for such a vital cause!”

Francesca Roffe Ridgard, Arts and Events Coordinator at Canary Wharf Group said:

“Canary Wharf Group were delighted to once again sponsor the WaterAid Dragon Boat Race. The event brings together a variety of different businesses for a very special cause, filling South Dock with the sound of drums and lots of colour.”

To get involved with next year’s event, please visit

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Safeeyah Kazi, Senior Media Officer at , or call our after-hours press line on +44 (0)7887 521 552, or email .

Notes to Editors:

WaterAid is working to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. The international not-for-profit organisation works in 27 countries to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 28 million people with clean water and 29 million people with decent toilets.

For more information, visit our website wateraid.org/uk, follow us on Twitter , or or find us on , or .

  • 2.2 billion people in the world – one in four – do not have safe and available drinking water at home. 
  • 3.4 billion people in the world – two in five - do not have a safe toilet at home. 
  • More than half a billion people worldwide still share sanitation facilities with other households, often compromising the privacy, dignity and safety of women and girls. 
  • Over 395,000 deaths of children under-five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor water, sanitation and hygiene, that's 7.6% of all under-five deaths worldwide. 
  • Investing in safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services provides up to 21 times more value than it costs. 

[1] [2] [3] WHO/UNICEF (2023). Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000–2022: special focus on gender. New York: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO). 

[4] WHO (2023). Burden of disease attributable to unsafe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene: 2019 update. 

[5] WaterAid. (2021) Mission-critical: Invest in water, sanitation and hygiene for a healthy and green economic recovery. 

About Canary Wharf Group

Canary Wharf Group (CWG) is the developer of the largest urban regeneration project in Europe. CWG develops, manages and currently owns interests in approximately 9 million square feet of mixed-use space and over 1,100 Build to Rent apartments. 

CWG is the largest sustainable developer in the UK and also excels operationally as it has purchased 100% electricity from renewable sources since 2012 and sent zero waste to landfill since 2009. 

CWG has created a 24/7 city where people can live, work and thrive on the Canary Wharf estate and enjoy all the benefits: great transport links, access to green spaces and waterside living; and a wide range of amenities including an award-winning arts and events programme. Canary Wharf’s retail offering comprises over 70 bars, cafes and restaurants and over 200 shops, including grocery stores, pharmacies and health clubs all within 15 minutes’ walk. 

The Company’s current £2bn construction activity and pipeline includes more than 500k square feet NIA of commercial properties and over 2,300 new homes for sale and rent.

Website: www.canarywharf.com

LinkedIn: @CanaryWharfGroup

Instagram: @canarywharflondon @canarywharfworks

Twitter: @CanaryWharfGrp @Level39CW

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