Up to 500 rowers competing in this year's Abingdon Regatta will be performing alongside dragon-boat racers - as organisers try to shed rowing's elitist image.

The event's organising committee wants spectators from all walks of life to join them for the regatta.

The committee is aware that other regattas have gained a reputation for being 'snobbish' in recent years and is determined Abingdon's event will not similarly suffer.

Hundreds of spectators are expected to flock to the banks of the River Thames, on the opposite side of Wilsham Road, Abingdon, on Sunday, August 23, to see rowers compete against each other.

And they will also get the chance to see the more light-hearted dragon-boat racing - familiar to viewers of TV's Hawaii Five-O.

Bill Gannon, a member of the regatta's rowing committee, is aware that other regattas have suffered from an image problem over the years.

He said: "Rowing in general has suffered from an elitist image for too many years. It is time to show people that it is just as accessible as any other sport."

The committee has received a boost from Tesco, which has agreed to sponsor this year's event.

The course will take competitors over a distance of 500 metres upstream. The event will start at 8am and it is anticipated it will finish with a succession of finals at about 6pm.

Prizes will then be presented by town mayor, Ms Jeanette Rickus-Prosser, and Tesco manager, Mr Jim Loxdale. Entry and nearby parking will be free.

Abingdon Rowing Club, which hosts the event, is currently hoping council planners will give them the go-ahead for a new boathouse in the town, which members have stressed will also be made available to the wider public.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.