On Saturday 11 July, Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) hosted the Lincoln Dragon Boat Festival at Brayford Waterfront in Lincoln, bringing teams, businesses and supporters together for a day of racing, fundraising and community spirit.

Seventeen teams took to the water to compete for the coveted trophy, with crews racing along the Brayford as crowds gathered to cheer them on. The waterfront was filled with a sea of yellow and red throughout the day, creating a lively and memorable atmosphere for teams and spectators alike. Lincoln Security’s team, the ‘Lincoln Security Lockness Monsters’, were crowned the winners, with Brook and Mayo’s ‘Shock ‘n’ Oaks’ taking a close second place.

Visitors also joined in with the Dragon Boat Trail, visiting local retailers across the city to answer quiz questions and uncover hidden letters. Once completed, participants were able to download an exclusive discount booklet. Food, drinks and games added to the festival atmosphere, with visitors enjoying refreshments while soaking up the summer sunshine.

The event raised a fantastic £21,500, with proceeds going directly towards LNAA’s Mission Possible 2 Appeal, which is helping to fund a second air ambulance helicopter. The additional aircraft would enable the charity to reach more patients and save more lives across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. LNAA currently operates with one helicopter, its iconic yellow AW169, but as mission numbers continue to rise, its doctors, paramedics and pilots know there are around 400 patients per year they are not currently able to reach.

Rachel Wilson, Head of Philanthropy and Community said, “What an incredible day at this year’s Dragon Boat Festival. On behalf of the charity, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to our fantastic event partners at Ringrose Law and to our generous sponsors – Dynex Semiconductors, Magna Radio, Hortons Chery, and Sinarchie Media – whose support helped make this event such a tremendous success.

A huge thank you also goes to all the teams who took part, fundraised so brilliantly, and threw themselves into the spirit of the day. Your enthusiasm, commitment and friendly competition created a truly memorable event. We are equally grateful to everyone who came along to watch, cheer on the teams, and support the festival – the atmosphere on the day was simply amazing.

Events like this are about much more than racing. They bring our community together and provide a wonderful opportunity for us to meet and speak with our incredible supporters, volunteers and fundraisers who make our life-saving work possible.

Most importantly, every pound raised from the event will go towards our Mission Possible 2 appeal to help fund a second helicopter, enabling us to save even more lives across our region.

Thank you to everyone who played a part in making this year’s Dragon Boat Festival such a success. We can’t wait to do it all again – see you next year on 17 July!”

Thanks to the generosity of supporters, more than £200,000 has already been raised towards the £500,000 target, with a further £300,000 still needed to complete the appeal.

Joe Waterton, Director of Income and Engagement, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the support we have received so far. It has been inspiring to see the commitment and generosity shown towards Mission Possible 2, and reaching the £200,000 milestone is a fantastic achievement. We simply could not have done it without our amazing supporters. Thank you to everyone who has played a part in helping us move closer to making a second helicopter a reality.”