Staff from the charity Royal Star & Garter and volunteers took to the Thames to raise funds in the Kingston Rotary Dragon Boat Challenge.

Royal Star & Garter provides loving, compassionate care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia.

Staff from the charity’s care homes and admin team were joined by a dozen Sea Cadets from the TS Kingston Steadfast group. They all took part in races at Canbury Gardens on 17 July.

The team of paddlers, who had never set foot in a dragon boat before, excelled, winning the first of their three races and finishing second in the other two.

They also helped raise £1,200 for the charity, which has Homes in Surbiton, Solihull and High Wycombe. More than half the amount came from Minuteman Press in Hampton Hill.

‘Memorable day’

Lauren Baker, Senior Community Fundraiser at Royal Star & Garter, said: “We’d like to thank everyone who made this a really fun and memorable day. That includes the Sea Cadet volunteers from TS Kingston Steadfast, who were amazing, and everyone who gave money and helped us raise so much.”

To fundraise for Royal Star & Garter, go to https://starandgarter.org/how-you-can-help/events/