King’s Ely trio help dragon boat team race to victory!

Three King’s Ely students helped their dragon boat race team race to victory – and raise thousands of pounds for charity.
King’s Ely Sixth Form students Thomas Oldham, 18, Emma Tarshish, 18, and Emily Moore, 17, joined the Dragon Boat Eleven (DB11) team from Aston Martin Cambridge to compete in the much-anticipated Jardine Motors Group (JMG) Dragon Boat Festival in Stevenage.
Intrepid members of the DB11 squad saw off 24 teams on the day, narrowly clinching the JMG Dragon Boat title by beating the Witham Bodyshop team by 0.2 seconds in the final.
The competitive yet fun-filled festival was raising money for Whizz Kidz, a charity which provides disabled children with the essential wheelchairs and other mobility equipment they need to lead fun and active childhoods.
The DB11 team raised more than £2,000 in sponsorship and overall the festival raised more than £14,000 for Whizz Kidz.
Dealer Principal at Aston Martin Cambridge, Simon Lane, said: “The team really got behind this from the outset and Tom, Emma and Emily were real assets to the team. We had donations from friends, family, customers, suppliers and our manufacturer partner. We are extremely grateful to all of them for their generosity, which totalled £2,180, making us the top fundraisers on the day. We certainly did not expect to win the race but we worked together as a team and dug in when it mattered. Our final race was incredibly close and we won by only 0.2 seconds!”