The dragons are on their way to Largs!

Largs Rotary Club is hosting a charity Dragon Boat Race at the RNLI slip on Saturday 3 September - and needs your help!

It is a fun 'try it out' activity, and an exciting, adrenaline-pumping, fun-filled experience.

Dragon boats are large, canoe-like vessels fitted with brightly coloured and ornately carved dragon heads and tails.

Each boat is crewed by a team of up to 16 paddlers, spurred on by a drummer beating time (the drum is the 'heartbeat' of the Dragon Boat) and supported by a professional helms person to steer and to motivate the crew towards the finishing line, around 250 metres away.

Winning boats in the heats compete in the finals and the day ends with medals and trophy presentation.

Ian Berwick, Largs Rotary's Dragon Boat organiser, explains. "Each team entry costs £425. That's around £25 per person. You just need to get together with 16 of your mates (over 12, no experience is necessary), pay the entrance fee and you're off! Most of the entrance fee goes to pay the company supplying the boats, equipment and expertise, so to raise charity money each paddler needs to be sponsored by family and friends. The two charities Largs Rotary is supporting for this event are RNLI and Erskine Hospital, which is celebrating its centenary this year. We're asking all participants to raise sponsor funds for these two charities and Largs Rotary will provide you with sponsor forms when you register."

For further information you can phone Ian on 07539623244 or email dboatlargs@outlook.com