Now in their eighth season, Paddlers for Life will host the North West Cancer Survivorship Conference at Low Wood Bay on Saturday, 12th September and the spectacular Charity Dragon Boat Regatta the following day.
This is an opportunity for GPs and health professionals, cancer rehabilitation specialists, cancer survivors and supporters to get together in the heart of the beautiful Lake District, discovering together what the future can hold for cancer survivors and to build a greater understanding of the eclectic nature of the physical, social and practical needs of cancer survivors in order to drive practice improvement.
The hardest time is after your cancer treatment is finished; thats when what you face really begins to sink in.
Lynn Shamal, cancer survivor, tells her story of how dragon boat racing has been vital in her road to recovery.
Lynn Shamal’s Paddlers for Life Story
What?! Dragon Boating post breast cancer on Lake Windermere? I couldn’t believe my ears as I listened to Jenni Murray talking to two lovely ladies from Liverpool about the benefits of Dragon Boating post breast cancer treatment. The good news was that they wanted to start a team at the Low Wood Bay Watersports Centre, just up the road! That was eight years ago now and Paddlers for Life has grown from strength to strength with teams around the country.
You can’t beat a good paddle on Lake Windermere
Ten years ago I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and I am happy to come out of it addicted to Dragon Boating. I love it. Not just the paddling but all the extras that go with being part of this team. A team of folk who have been through what I have been through. We don’t need to talk about the cancer, we can if we want to, but we already know. We talk and laugh about paddling, about our technique, about our lives.
I have made so many good friends and have many, many happy memories of the fun and exciting times we have had together at regattas in Britain and abroad. But, you can’t beat a good paddle on Lake Windermere, with the Langdales ahead, the sun shining on our faces, the splash of the paddles, the movement of the boat. We become one, literally all in the same boat.
Cancer survivors – all in the same boat – literally!
What is so unique about Paddlers for Life is that we invite all those affected by cancer to join us. That includes our partners, families and friends plus those who have suffered other kinds of cancer.
Due to some generous sponsorship, there are a number of free places being offered. For more information visit the Paddlers for Life Website.
Following the success of the 1st Charity Dragon Boat Regatta in 2014, English Lakes working with Paddlers for Life UK, will once again host this truly magnificent and fun event on 13th September.Eighteen teams have signed up to crew the 40’ boats with paddles ready to hit the water to the sound of the drum.
Ben Berry of English Lakes commented,
Taking part in the Regatta is a significant step towards helping to change the way services support people after having faced a diagnosis of cancer. At the same time, we are encouraging teams to raise sponsorship for a charity of their own choice which has special meaning to them.
