Celebrities mark one year to Beijing Paralympic Games

Paralympians Tanni Grey-Thompson, Ade Adepitan and Giles Long and TV stars Giles Vickers-Jones and Gladiators star Hunter were among the group battling it out on the waters of Surrey Docks in London.

London 2012 Chair Sebastian Coe and Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell were also on hand to offer support.

Organised by the British Paralympic Association (BPA), the event launched their new fundraising campaign, ‘Road to Beijing’.

The campaign encourages supporters to log-on to an online interactive fundraising map and 'own a mile' of the journey between London and Beijing, by pledging online or completing their own fundraising mile.

The dragon boat race symbolised the first mile on the BPA’s map of the journey to the Games.

British Paralympic Association President Mike Brace OBE, said: 'We are delighted to be launching this new fundraising initiative, which we hope will encourage Britain to get behind our Paralympic athletes as we begin the countdown to the Beijing Games.

'The money raised from this exciting initiative will help us nurture and support our athletes so that they can put in medal winning performances in Beijing in 2008 as well as Vancouver in 2010 and London in 2012.'

Join the BPA's Road to Beijing