ADVENTUROUS Scouts need to raise hundreds of pounds if they are to defend their national dragon boat race title on the River Thames and bring further glory to the town of Frodsham.
Last year dozens of sports-mad youngsters from 3rd Frodsham Sea Scout Group paddled their way to become champions at the National Dragon Boat Championships in London.
But this year the youngsters may have to miss out on the competition and defending their winner’s title if they can’t raise between £1,500-£2,000 to make the trip down to the River Thames.
The group of youngsters – who take part in a practice run with four other boating teams from across Cheshire on the River Dee on Sunday, May 20 – would need to raise the cash to cover the cost of the minibus, driver, competition and overnight stay if they want to compete this September.
Leader Paul Rogers said the cost for the two crews, who are each made up of 20 paddlers and a drummer, had risen and the group needed to hold fundraising  events if they wanted to defend their national title.
“Most of the cost is for the driver and the 52-seater minibus. We would need to spend the whole weekend down there as the race starts very early in the morning.”
Paul said the teams, which are ever expanding as more of the youngsters get excited about the races, only really train in the full boats three or four times a year on the River Dee, where they attract crowds of people who cheer and wave as the youngsters race under the bridges. The rest of the time the youngsters practice in bell boats in lakes across Cheshire.
As part of their fundraising attempts the Sea Scouts will be holding a giant car boot sale on Sunday from 8am at Sutton Fields.
“This is our main fundraising event and we hope that we will be able to get some way to the total amount so that the youngsters can go and race and defend the title they worked so hard to get.”
Source: Chester Chronicle