Hayley MaceHundreds of rowers have braved the chilly waters of Oulton Broad to help raise money for seriously ill children.More than 30 crews from local businesses and organisations took part in the East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival on the broad at Nicholas Everitt Park on Sunday.Hayley Mace

Hundreds of rowers have braved the chilly waters of Oulton Broad to help raise money for seriously ill children.

More than 30 crews from local businesses and organisations took part in the East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival on the broad at Nicholas Everitt Park on Sunday.

The festival, which took place in Oulton Broad for the fifth year in a row, saw teams from local businesses including Hoseasons, Sozewell B power station and BBC Radio Suffolk, race brightly-painted 30ft Chinese dragon boats over a 200m course to raise money for East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH).

Event manager Merklyn Hauck, from organisers Gable Vvents, said: 'The sun came out in the afternoon and warmed all our competitors who got cold in the morning.

'The broad and the park looked beautiful in the sunshine, and it was great to see so many people out enjoying the racing and all the other entertainment.

'We had 31 teams take part, which was more than last year, so that's fantastic. Everyone was very enthusiastic, enjoyed themselves and raised lots of money for charity.'

As well as races all day on the water, there was a range of family entertainment in the park including a colourful Chinese lion dance performed by the Wing Chun kung fu group and students from the Lowestoft-based Venue of Performing Arts.