“When you’ve had cancer you are told there are so many things you cannot do ever again. The walls close in. Paddling this dragon boat is the antithesis of all that. Every single one of these women has faced down being treated for breast cancer, what it does to your life, and your body. I have laughed more during and after these gruelling training sessions than for some time. I am not normal yet, I may not ever be normal again. But for a couple of hours a week I am an Amazonian, in the company of fellow warriors.”

“It’s not for us the ‘poor me’ mentality. We are determined to not let cancer win - life wins every time. We tick every box: outdoor fun, get fit, make friends, inclusive, affordable, supportive and community-based. All shapes and sizes, Northside, Southside, professional, unemployed, race, nationality, bald, hairy, bald again!! We are winners every day.”

“Imagine a sport in which you participate competitively whether you are eighteen or eighty, whether you are male or female, whether you are large or small. Imagine a sport that you can start in your later years, even if you have had cancer… That sport exists - it is dragon boating.

“Imagine a post-breast-cancer support group that rarely talks about cancer, but mostly talks about health, fitness and, of course, dragon boat racing. Imagine the best group of friends who, like you, have all recovered from breast cancer and want to make a better life for themselves. This club is the Plurabelle Paddlers.”