Team GB Dragon Boat Breast Cancer Paddlers

01/09/2026

Last week over 100 UK breast cancer paddlers attended the IBCPC festival in Aix-les-baines France, an event that happens every 4 years.
This event was the biggest yet and was attended by 4500 bcp paddlers, 145 teams from 43 different countries.
The UK sent 5 teams, representing
Pool of Life, Breast Cancer Survivors' Dragon Boat Team Pink Champagne Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Team Hurricane Paragons DBC Manchester Dragoneers Port Edgar Thames Dragon Boat Club Worcester Dragon Boat Racing Club Oxford Paddlers for Life and Windermere paddlers for life

01/08/2026

A great article on Manchester TV last night, highlighting Manchester Dragoneers, which includes 5 of our GB paddlers.

22/07/2026

Dragonboating has meant so much to all of us.
Massive respect to Glyn and all of the Purple Warriors, they are the real deal.

MEMBER STORY | Meet Glyn…

Behind every Purple Warriors paddler is a story that deserves to be heard.

Glyn’s journey is one of resilience, courage and refusing to give up. After life-changing injuries sustained during military service, he found himself in a very dark place. Through Purple Warriors, dragon boating and the support of people who understood, he found purpose, friendship and a reason to keep moving forward.

Today, Glyn wants others to know one simple message:

“You’re not alone.”

If you’re a serving member of the Armed Forces, a veteran, or know someone who could benefit from being part of a supportive community, why not come along to our Purple Warriors Open Day?

📅 Saturday 15 August 2026
📍 Pershore Phoenix Dragon Boat Club, Defford, WR8 9BU
🕤 9:30am – 4:30pm

No experience is needed—just come along, meet the team and discover how dragon boating can change lives.

Be Inspired. Inspire Others. Inspired by you.

*Real Warrior. Real Story. Shared with permission.*

17/07/2026

A little “ goodbye from Hils ( and Jack )

( no assistance from ChatGPT btw 😂)

And so we travel home today , drift back into routines
Let’s pause and just remember the experience it’s been
From rowing ergs to zooms and diets
Bands and Active eight
Training sessions countrywide and don’t you dare be late
Meeting for the first time , leaving for the last
We’ve got to know each other , the lives we live our pasts
And out there on the water we’ve battled wind and rain
Blisters bruises muscles pulled
We’ve paddled through the pain
We’ve fought those nerves , sometimes we’ve cried, sometimes we got it wrong
Back in the boat , we’ll try again because we are that strong
We’ve laughed and danced with all the girls who know just how we feel
And celebrated loud and proud , for we are the “ real deal “
So , Silver medals set aside , of these we are so proud
Families watching sending love, cheering from the crowd
Take a minute , step away and take a look at you
You really are quite marvellous , brave , fighters through & through
And my friend Jack has done his job, he’ll send us on our way
“Do this for me Hils “ he said , so what more can I say ☺️

🐉💕🐉💕🐉💕🐉💕🐉

16/07/2026

What a journey!
Training for 9 months, the last 4 months since selection has been hard, lots of gym work, homework and getting on the water as much as possible. We are different athletes, we take iffy drugs that sometimes affect us, we have bits missing, we get emotional, sometimes we dont want to train, but we did, what we do have is grit, a team that bonded together, worked hard, became each other's support network and became a team. So proud of this bunch of ladies, absolutely smashed every race.
Massive thank you to all our family and friends who have supported and encouraged us.