A civic reception is to be held in Bradford for a group of local kayaking enthusiasts who became the national dragon boat champions last month.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Naveeda Ikram, will meet the team next week to celebrate their achievements after they were named overall winner in their class at the British Dragon Boat Association National Finals.

The team, made up of staff and volunteers from Bradford Council’s Doe Park Water Activities Centre and Appleton Academy, Wyke, took first place in the Blue Ribbon Event 500m competition and second place in the 200m competition.

They walked away with three trophies and each team member also won a gold medal.

The team’s achievement was especially impressive given that it was the first time they had entered the competition and they had only had one training session together.

And there were just 16 in their team, as opposed to others that were 20-strong, and they had to compete in a borrowed boat.

The team was put together by Katy Hebron, a PE teacher at Appleton, along with Doe Park manager Louise Clarke. They decided to enter the contest in Nottingham, the main event on the calendar for the sport in the UK, after training with a team in Liverpool.

After the win Miss Hebron said: “Everybody was cheering for us because we were the outside team.”

Coun Ikram said: “This is a tremendous achievement. It demonstrates what can be achieved with determination and commitment.”

The team now hopes to get its own boat and bring dragon boat racing to Bradford.

Coun Ikram will host a civic reception on Friday, November 4, at Bradford’s City Hall.