Colleagues from across UM Group took to the water earlier this month to raise vital funds for charities.
UM entered two crews into a Dragon Boat Race organised by UM’s holding company W&R Barnett as part of its 130th anniversary celebrations.
Although they didn’t make it to the final, UM’s two 12-strong boats, The Sugar Smugglers and The Rum Runners, did come third and fourth respectively.
Fourteen boats – a total of 168 intrepid rowers - took part in the racing on the River Lagan in Belfast with almost £40,000 raised by UM’s crews going to support the vital work of charities Cancer Research UK and Prostate Cancer UK. This final total included generous match-funding from W&R Barnett.
The Dragon Boat racing was followed by a celebratory dinner and entertainment at Belfast’s Titanic Hotel.
Geraldine Carroll, UM Group HR, Training and Office Manager, said: “We are delighted to have raised such a fantastic amount for two wonderful causes. We know it will make such a difference to the vital work they do in terms of cancer research and support to families.
“Everyone from UM who took part entered into the spirit of the day and we were more than a little surprised when we found out our two crews had both made it through to the semi-finals.
“We had a few dropouts due to illness and other unforeseen circumstances in the days before the event, but it was great to see other colleagues rally and step forward at the last minute to take their places.
“Days like this demonstrate what a fantastic camaraderie there is among UM colleagues with everyone showing great teamwork and competitive spirit.”
Sarah Cripps, from UM Trading Chartering and Logistics, had previously taken part in the Dragon Boat Race to mark W&R Barnett’s 125th anniversary.
Sarah said: “We had no idea our two boats had made it into the semi-finals. We kept expecting our names to be called out as they counted down where the crews had come from 14th to first, so we were bowled over to make it into the top 4.
“I think we then got a little bit over excited and lost our synchronicity in the semis, but it was great to get that far and to raise so much money for our chosen charities.”
Nigel Jones, UM Group’s Sustainability, Quality and Technical Manager, had also rowed in the previous edition.
Nigel said: “It’s always a great event and a chance to meet up with colleagues from the wider W&R Barnett family away from our day-to-day jobs. Everyone’s very competitive but, at the end of the day, it’s all about raising as much money as we can for our various causes.”
