A DRAGON boating enthusiast from Malvern is going to Venice at the end of May to take part in a festival celebrating human-powered boating.

Sue Shackleton, who works for QinetiQ, took up dragon boat racing after surviving breast cancer.

She heard on Radio Four's Women's Hour that dragon boat rowing was good for women recovering from breast cancer, because it helps them avoid a condition called lyphoedema, and is good for health and well-being anyway.

And this let to her finding Worcester's own dragon-boat racing club and forming the Worcester Busters, a team within the club made up of breast cancer survivors, now in its third year.

Now Sue is looking forward to taking part in the Vogalonga – a festival for human-powered boats, paddling a 30 km course around the lagoon and canals of Venice. More than 1,500 boats have taken part in recent years.

Going along with her will be Deborah Shields, a Busters member from Birmingham, and together, they will be joining an international dragon boat crew of breast cancer survivors from Italy, France, Canada and the UK.

"We’ve joined an international community of women who’ve all found fitness and fulfilment through dragon boating," she said.

Back in the UK, the Worcester Busters will be competing in Race the Dragon, a charity dragon boat regatta at Worcester Race Course on June 21. They are looking to recruit new members. For more information contact Sue on 01684 575787 or email sueshackers@live.co.uk.