Supporting a long-standing local tradition
At UHY, our purpose is helping you prosper, and this applies beyond our clients and teams to the communities we serve. In July 2025, our York office took part in the 23rd annual York Rotary Dragon Boat Challenge, raising vital funds for our 2024-26 national charity, Dementia UK.
Thanks to the enthusiasm and generosity of our team and supporters, we raised over £2,300, contributing to the charity’s mission to provide specialist dementia support across the UK.
The York Rotary Club’s annual Dragon Boat Challenge takes place each July on the River Ouse and has become one of the city’s most popular charity events. Since it began in 2003, the event has raised around £1.7 million for local good causes, with funds split between teams’ chosen charities and those nominated by York Rotary.
Having enjoyed attending the event with their families over the years, our team decided it was time to join the action. With only 36 team slots available, they were thrilled to secure the final place in a competitive ballot. Since the start of the year, Alison Martin, Cloud Manager from our York team, took the reins, coordinating logistics, t-shirts and building a team of willing UHY volunteers.
The team chose the name ‘Helping You Paddle,’ and our rowers donned a bright yellow duck-themed kit to represent UHY in the annual races. The team honed their skills with weekly practice sessions taking place in the boardroom, where the team drummer, Henry Leather, kept the rhythm with a bin and pen.
On Sunday 13 July 2025, the day arrived, with 36 teams coming head-to-head in the competition. The event raised an amazing total of £95,000 for designated charities, two-thirds of which supports the individual teams’ chosen causes, with the final third going to York Rotary’s charity fund; separate to UHY’s Dementia UK fundraising efforts.
Our rowers arrived at 8:30am and set up their gazebo, decorated with balloons from Dementia UK. All paddlers received wristbands before preparing for the three heats:
Heat 1: A close win “by a whisker” with a time of 1:18
Heat 2: Pipped by another first-time team, The Three Bears Foundation
Heat 3: Full team effort, posting their best time of 1:15
While our rowers didn’t qualify for the final (eventually won in 1:03 by The Three Bears Foundation), Helping You Paddle’s progress was clear to see, winning two heats their first year on the water, with recognition from both the commentators and crowd.
However, the day wasn’t just about competition, it was also about engaging in the local community and building relationships within the team. Between races, the team socialised over food and shared conversation with other teams.
Some comments from our team members about the day:
“It felt good to get our best time in the last heat”
“The calm before the race and then the adrenaline once we started.”
“I enjoyed Linda’s flapjacks”
Our York team’s efforts generated vital funds for Dementia UK as well as a range of local causes, with proceeds coordinated by York Rotary. The event had a wide-reaching impact, helping to fund critical work, strengthening community ties and giving our team a chance to bond outside the office in a truly memorable way.
As our York office’s first entry, Helping You Paddle made a splash, setting a great foundation for future involvement. The team is already looking forward to getting back on the water in 2026, building on this year’s efforts and continuing to make waves for good.
