Our Catering Trailer, a very vital tool within the team for keeping our morale up on long searches, protracted rescues and exercises, is now beginning to show its age, despite a complete and necessary full external refurbishment carried out last year.

After recently discovering some axle problems it was decided to carry out further work on the trailer, due to its importance within the team, (ok so we like our comforts), and it was put into the good hands of Indespension, the Bolton based trailer company just over a week ago to carry out vital work to the axles. (they also supplied the parts to refix the jockey wheel, which was badly damaged recently when it dropped whilst the trailer was in transit, whoops !)
The trailer was returned to us today, fully repaired and is now back into service, at a cost of £342.00.

Due to its age, we are now having to look seriously at replacing our Catering Trailer with a new trailer, and current replacement estimates excluding internal fitment are working out in the region of £3,500.00 to £4,000.00.

The good news is that we are in preliminary talks with a local group who have expressed an interest in supporting the team with a large project, and they are happy with our suggestion of a new Catering Trailer as such a project.

To keep the costs of such a replacement trailer within a reasonable limit, we are considering fitting out the trailer internally utilising the skills within the team membership, but amongst other priorities on team members time this will not be a quick project, hence the need for a building / garage where we can carry out such work over a period of time.

We have no such spare room at our Ladybridge Hall or Bolton Fire Station vehicle garages, so we are very fortunate that a new team member has offered the use of an outbuilding at her farm to carry out the work on the new trailer when we eventually come to purchasing it.

In the meantime of course we have to keep our existing Catering Trailer fully roadworthy and ready for use at all times.