Dragon Boat Challenge (DBC) 2025 – Citizens’ Advice York (CAY)

CAY was our chosen charity for the 2025 DBC receiving just over £18000.  They had asked for support as they had a significant need - a project which was to run a centre in Tang Hall, which had closed the previous year due to a cut in funding.  Many potential clients are unable to travel to CAY’s base at West Offices (City of York Council) due to lack of transport, inability to afford taxis, disablement or carer’s duties.  Drop-in centres in deprived areas of York are a very useful way for potential clients to access CAY’s help.

In CAY’s annual report 2025/6 they state:

“We were very proud to be chosen as the Charity partner of York Rotary Club and their amazing Dragon Boat Race. This event funded an outreach in the Tang Hall community centre for an entire year and helped 390 people with 1492 issues. Income gained for people we helped was £226,959 (mostly from previously unclaimed benefits) and the service helped to write off £970,677 of debt”. 

Also, CAY report “The charity, CAY, achieved an overall operating surplus of £13k, a significant improvement on the £2k deficit recorded in 2024/25”. Without Rotary’s £18k, they would have again ended last year in deficit.

Ending the year with a surplus, instead of a deficit, has put the charity in a good position to continue its work in the city and they are also about to launch a new weekly immigration drop-in, in partnership with Refugee Action York and York City of Sanctuary, to help those navigating through, for example, citizenship and naturalisation, visa queries, or housing and benefits for the first time.  They have also recruited volunteers who speak some of the newly-required languages to support non-English speaking refugees.

I attended a small ceremony in CAY’s offices last week and in recognition of our help, received from CAY’s CEO Fiona McCulloch,  a plaque inscribed “In acknowledgement of being charity partners for the 2025 Dragon Boat Race and with thanks from the people for whom your donation was life changing”.

To find more about the work of Citizen's Advice York click here.

Russ Rollings