Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch
Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch were all participating in the Dragon Boat Race Louise Preece/Dawbell

Ronan Keating, Westlife's Mark Feehily and other celebrities headed down to the Isle of Wight on St George's Day yesterday (23 April) to take part in a charity Dragon Boat Race hosted by the Isle of Wight Festival.

The day, which took place around Island Harbour, was organised to support the new partnership between the national children's charity WellChild and the renowned festival and to provide a day of competition, entertainment and fundraising.

Other famous faces in attendance included Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Fortitude's Nicholas Pinnock.

As many as 300 people took part in races throughout the day, making up 20 teams in total. The event is said to have raised £50,000 ($75,900) for WellChild, the festival's chosen charity.

The organiser, John Giddings who works for the Isle of Wight Festival, told the Isle of Wight county press that the whole thing came together in just six weeks, after the idea was hatched when he privately bought the giant dragon skull that was used to promote the fifth season of the hit television series Game Of Thrones on Dorset's Jurassic coast, a beach renowned for its dinosaur fossils.

The skull was on display at the one-off event as race participants and passers-by stopped to take photographs with the 40ft installation.

When asked to discuss the continuing collaboration, WellChild's chief executive Colin Dyer said that the charity was "thrilled to be partnering with the Isle of Wight Festival 2015" and that it was "certain [it] will benefit from the incredible energy and dynamism of this legendary event".

Dyer was pleased to think that "everyone attending the festival this year can do so in the knowledge that, as well as having a fantastic time, they are also supporting some of the most vulnerable children and young people in the UK through funding WellChild's work."

WellChild is a charity that focuses on giving families with seriously ill children support through every stage of their journey. It enables, where possible, the opportunity for children to be cared for in their own home through the use WellChild's Children's Nurses. In addition, the organisation offers families help when preparing their homes when they are considering looking after their child away from hospital.

It brings families going through similar experiences together through the WellChild family tree and also funds and leads ground-breaking research.

The Isle of Wight Festival takes place from 11-14 June at Seaclose Park. Its confirmed musical guests so far include Fleetwood Mac, Blur, Pharrell Williams, Jessie Ware and James Bay.

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