Ronan Keating joins IOW charity dragon boat race

Yesterday, on St George's Day, The Isle of Wight Festival launched their new partnership withWellChild, the national charity for sick children, by hosting an exciting and action-packed Dragon Boat Race on the waters at Island Harbour, Isle of Wight.

Celebrities Ronan Keating & Storm Uechtritz, Markus Feehily, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy and Nicholas Pinnock joined Isle of Wight Festival promoter John Giddings, festival partners and national organisations such as Hard Rock Cafe, Ticketmaster, BT, WPP Group plc and Mayer Brown plus local businesses Southern Vectis, Island Roads, Blacksheep Bar and Bagel Wrap for a day of competitive racing and entertainment in support of the charity partnership. Over 300 people across twenty teams took part in the races, with £50,000 raised for WellChild.

In celebration of this one-off event on St George's Day, the giant Dragon Skull used to promote the release of the third season of Game of Thrones was on proud display at the harbour throughout the day. Many race participants and spectators posed for photos and 'selfies' with the 40ft installation, which inspired the day's events following its purchase by John Giddings, a huge fan of the HBO show.

Caroline Giddings, Commercial Director of The Isle of Wight Festival said: "This is an important partnership for us. WellChild is a charity we feel passionate about and are committed to raising awareness and as much money as possible for them before and during this year's Festival. The Isle of Wight Festival and WellChild together are committed to creating lasting memories and The St George's Day Dragon Boat Race is a great first initiative to do exactly that".