Timeline

July 13, 2024

Cross Morecambe Bay fund raiser.

What a fantastic experience walking with Guide over Sands Trust today. Ninety seven members, family and friends donated to our team and walked seven miles across the sands and mudflats of Morecambe Bay from Arnside to Grange-over-Sands. We were led by the King's Guide to the Sands, Michael Wilson, and safely looked ...more

June 24, 2024

Coaching Day with Keni

Our much loved coach visited from Three River Serpents 'Serpees' in Durham. Sessions have previously been cancelled by poor weather so it was great to have Keni back to take both experienced and newer paddlers through stroke technique and timing exercises. Keni has 25 years of dragon boat paddling experience ...more

June 4, 2024

Dotting the eyes of the dragons, 2024

We gathered to 'awaken' our dragons by 'dotting the eyes'. We paint in the pupil of the eyes on the dragon boat heads. Traditionally, this awakens the dragons so they can provide paddlers with protection, Irene led the ceremony explaining the traditions. Philippa told the story of the poet Qu Yuan who is ...more

April 28, 2024

Helming experience.

A couple of members took the opportunity to gain further helming experience under the guidance of two of our more experienced helms. They really showed their skills by not only helming the boats but also guiding crews in launching the boats from the jetty and returning them to storage after the paddling sessions were ...more

April 14, 2024

All Hands on Deck for our 2024 season.

The garage store is tidied, the pontoon re-assembled and the rib is checked over and cleaned. An eager group of paddlers gathered to help with all these tasks. New members were able to meet other paddlers and become familiar with our Low Wood site. Roz reminded everyone about our paddling day procedures to ...more

March 19, 2024

Water confidence and safety session

Around twenty paddlers entered the pool for our annual pre-season water confidence and safety session at Kendal Leisure Centre pool. More paddlers participated from the pool side practicing using paddles to help someone out of the water from a jetty fall into shallow water or throw line and rope techniques to aid ...more

March 15, 2024

Nominate us to receive a £1000 donation.

Follow this link to nominate Paddlers for Life Windermere to receive a £1000 donation through Movement for Good. more

March 10, 2024

Latterbarrow Walk

This was our final off season get together up to Latterbarrow view point overlooking the western shore of Windermere. Here we could see our paddling home at Low Wood Bay across the lake from our starting point at Wray Castle. We will soon start the seventeenth paddling season for ...more

February 19, 2024

Winter walk to Easedale Tarn

The weather was kind to us as we walked up to Easedale Tarn from Grasmere. We enjoyed warm, dry weather with good company and splendid views. There was some excitement as we circled the tarn trying to find the driest crossing of the ghylls and becks that feed the tarn but we managed to get everyone across ...more

January 27, 2024

Silverdale Coffee Morning fundraiser 2024

This was our thirteenth coffee morning at Silverdale's Gaskell Memorial Hall. This is a very important fund raiser for our breast cancer dragon boat team. Funds raised help us to provide our dragon boating and other activities in support of people with a cancer diagnosis. ...more

October 23, 2023

2023 Pink Paddle and flower ceremony.

Many paddlers gathered for our final paddle of the sixteenth season to promote October's breast cancer awareness. We also held a flower ceremony remembering those who no longer paddle with us and 'closed the eyes' of our 'dragons' for the winter. Both dragon boats, our V6 outrigger canoe and the support boat were ...more

June 25, 2023

Event 4 Harry's Heroes Solstice paddle.

In the past Paddlers for Life Windermere participated in a solstice paddle, for human powered craft, the the 10.5 mile length of Windermere. More recently we have arranged a weekend event to paddle to the southern end of Windermere and back with an overnight stay at the YMCA. This year we used this solstice ...more

June 5, 2023

2023 'dotting the eyes' ceremony.

Paddlers gathered for this traditional ceremony where the eyes of the dragon boat heads are painted with a dot of paint to represent the eyes opening. This is considered to awaken the spirit of the dragons and gain their protection. We like to invite members and supporters of our team to perform this task acknowledging ...more

May 1, 2023

Sixteenth season begins.

Paddlers for Life Windermere finally got to paddle our dragon boats as our sixteenth season of paddling on Windermere begins. We had prepared the boats and pontoon and trained new members but high water levels and low water temperatures delayed the beginning of our sixteenth paddling season. Our first paddle ...more

April 10, 2023

Paddlers for Life Windermere CIO workshop.

Some paddlers assembled at Ambleside Parish Centre to relaunch the charity under its new Charitable Incorporated Organisation registration. Workshop participants. It was an opportunity to look at the history and origins of our dragon boat team. Louisa started with the theme of the 'dragon' and what it means in ...more

January 26, 2023

Silverdale Coffee Morning fundraiser for Paddlers for Life Windermere.

A huge 'Thank You' to everyone who visited our Coffee Morning fund raiser in the Gaskell Memorial Hall in Silverdale. As always, the residents of Silverdale were very generous with their time and support. Many friends of Paddlers for Life in Silverdale helped with stalls and refreshments and the community came out in ...more

November 28, 2022

South Lakes paddlers walk.

A group of paddlers got together for a six mile walk in the South Lakes near Kendal. We were lucky to have dry and mild conditions with the sun trying to break through high cloud. We gathered at Sizergh to walk through their park and then through Brigsteer Woods eventually up onto Scout Scar before returning through ...more

November 13, 2022

Season 2022 sort out!

Paddler volunteers gathered for some end of season tasks. The garage needed a tidy-up, the pontoon needed dismantling and cleaning and the V6 outrigger prepared for the winter off season. The weather forecast was promising... ... but recent rainfall created a problem. The high lake level had flooded the ...more

October 24, 2022

Our 2022 paddling season ends with flowers.

Our plans for a 'pink paddle', raising breast cancer awareness, were cancelled due to forecast rain and wind gusts. October is breast cancer awareness month. Nevertheless, some paddlers gathered for a flower ceremony, and to close the eyes of our three dragon boat heads. Paddlers reflect on family, friends and ...more

August 26, 2022

An Aloha Experience: Paddlers for Life Windermere at the World Sprint Championships (IVFWS)

Paddlers for Life Windermere at the GB Outrigger Association 2022 International Va’a Federation World Sprint Championships (IVFWS), 7-16 August 2022, Dorney Lake, Windsor, Great Britain. Since Paddlers for Life breast cancer dragon boat team have an outrigger canoe (OC6), we have been enjoying the new challenge ...more

June 3, 2022

Platinum Jubilee 2022

Another paddling adventure. In 2012 two of our founder members Sue and Louisa had the vision for Paddlers for Life to participate in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee pageant on the Thames in London. Ten years later Louisa encouraged us all to remember this by paddling our dragon boats on Windermere as part of the 'Light ...more

May 29, 2022

'Eye-dotting' ceremony 2022.

We awaken our dragons with a traditional ceremony. It was wonderful to be able to get together in person again for an 'eye-dotting' ceremony. Paddlers for Life members participate in the 'eye dotting' ceremony. Louisa led the ceremony with help from Irene who told the story of the poet Qu Yuan and the origins ...more

May 7, 2022

Our team helps with the 5 do 5 Windermere challenge.

A fund raising challenge remembering a special friend. Lisa, Julie, Julie, Lynn, and Sarah have set themselves 5 challenges across and around Windermere which will include land and water based activities. It is in memory of a dear friend Amanda Wilson and aims to raise money for Blackwell Sailing, CancerCare North ...more

May 2, 2022

Ākala Susie naming ceremony.

Our V6 outrigger canoe is named. The V6 outrigger is named 'Ākala Susie' in fond remembrance of one of our team's founders, Sue Cogley. Ākala Susie also got her first outing of 2022 over two paddling sessions. Paddlers for Life members, experienced and newer, gathered for the ceremony. It was a damp and misty day ...more

April 17, 2022

Our OC6 is prepared for the naming ceremony.

Preparations for the upcoming naming ceremony of our OC6. Just about a year ago our OC6 Tahitian outrigger canoe arrived at Low Wood. The canoe  was the dream of a founder member of the team and is to be named 'Ākala Susie' in fond memory of her. The canoe has been cleaned by Rowena and Chris and also Chris has been ...more