A GROUP of midwives have overcome their fears to take to the water as part of a dragon boat team to raise money in memory of a much-loved friend and colleague.

The team of 16 midwives and a consultant obstetrician from Worcestershire Royal Hospital formed the Worcester Bolton Dragons in memory of Lorraine Bolton and plan to take part in this year’s Race The Dragon regatta in June.

Miss Bolton died suddenly in July last year, aged just 48.

The team is aiming to raise money for the cardiac catheter suite at the hospital, where Miss Bolton was cared for before her death, and has already raised more than £1,000.

They believe the event will be a fantastic tribute to Miss Bolton, who they describe as a wonderful friend and midwife.

The team have been training with the Worcester Dragons in preparation for the event but the decision to take part has not been without its challenges, as none of the team had even been in a dragon boat before.

Midwives and team founders Gaynor Faulkner and Sharon Sarkar said it will be an exhilarating and emotional day for the team.

Mrs Sarkar said: “For us, it’s been a big thing. A lot of people have overcome fears of swimming and water.

“We wanted to do a team sport that we could get a lot of us involved in at the same time.

“We enjoy it and the support we have had from the Worcester Dragons and the hospital has been enormous. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

This year’s annual Race The Dragon event takes place on June 9 and will raise money for the Wor-cestershire Breast Unit Campaign.

About 18 teams have already signed up to take part in the event and organisers would like to attract a total of 32.

Teams are allowed 16 people with four reserves.

Anyone interested in taking part in the event should register a team by May 31.

For details, visit worcester-dragons.org.uk or e-mail info@worcester-dragons.org.uk.

To donate to Worcester Bolton Dragons, visit justgiving.com/boltondragons.