Dragon Boat Spectacular - 28th June 2008, River Aire, Leeds

Saturday 28th June saw one of the biggest ever waterside spectaculars taking place in the heart of the city of Leeds, on the River Aire.

The Leeds Community Foundation organised a colourful and fun Dragon Boat Race and Festival with up to 30 teams taking part in a series of heats, starting from Crown Point Bridge and ending at Leeds Bridge.   All money raised will be going to support grass roots community groups working in the more underprivileged areas of Leeds.

The winners were Leeds Fire Dragons (West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue); runners up were Gleeds Quackers (Gleeds) and, in third place PWC (PricewaterhouseCoopers).

So with 18 teams already signed up – we are doing it all again next year.  If you want to join in the fun call Amanda on 0113 242 2426 and book Saturday 27th June 2009 in your diary now.  But hurry, boats are selling fast.

Photos - contact sheets can be viewed here. An online ordering service will be available very shortly. Click on contact_sheet_teams for team photos and contact_sheet_action_02 for action shots. First Direct have already put some footage up on Youtube here .

Leeds Children's Champion

There are many well-known national charities doing fantastic work for children throughout the UK. However, did you know that there are over 400 voluntary and community organisations working in Leeds alone, making a difference to the lives of young people who are living in the most disadvantaged areas of the city?

As ambassadors of the the Leeds Children's Gift Fund, the Leeds Children's Champions motivate, inspire, encourage and contribute. Their aim is to continually grow the Fund, as it grows in size, so will the grants, and so will the impact.

For more information about becoming a Leeds Children's Champion, please click here.

Grassroots Grants

Grassroots Grants is a grants scheme funded by the Office of the Third Sector.  It will enable us to support communities with small grants until December 2010. Grants between £250 and £5,000 are currently available.

The grants are intended to benefit the community so can be very wide-ranging, including: the purchase of equipment, support for community events, training and staffing costs, overhead and rent costs etc. 

Further information regarding Grassroots grants is available here.