During the opening ceremony, Mr Pan told all the teams and supported: “I am delighted to be here at this traditional Chinese festival. I would like to express my sincere respects to leaders of the Chinese community and to Salford City Council for their support.

“The dragon boat festival is a very important tradition for Chinese people. I am happy to see that we have 10 student teams here today and that this is an event which Chinese and British friends can join us to watch and enjoy the festival.”

The opening speeches were followed by a Lion Dance from our friends at Master Chu’s Lion Dancing Club, a fan dance and a children’s performance. Local kitchens served up Chinese dishes such as Zongzi, the bamboo-wrapped rice dumplings that are traditionally eaten during the festival, and crowds began to line the banks of the docks to watch the first races.

Our own team was made up of an enthusiastic crew of rowers and a wonderful group of supporters. It turned out there were too many volunteers for everyone to have a go at rowing, so we had to choose a select few to row in each of the three heats. Our times were not bad at all but sadly our team did not make it into the final. Nonetheless we had a fantastic day and can’t wait to have another go next year!

We would like to extend our most sincere thanks to the XCA for inviting us to participate in the event and for being so accommodating. Our thanks also go to everyone who participated in the event and helped to make it such a wonderful day.