Today at the very kind invitation of the Lions Club of Bury, the team joint with our colleagues at Rossendale and Pendle MRT attended the Bury Lions Club Bury Carnival.
Sunshine and hot weather greeted us and stayed with us all day, resulting in a very busy, well attended carnival.
In total 10x team call out list members attended and 1x team Support Group member, along with our BM1, 2 and 3 Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances, our BM5 Minibus, our Search and Rescue Boat and our Control Trailer.
As well as the above we put on a mountain rescue search and rescue kit display, our full team display panels were on show and we operated a second hand book stall.
Team Leader Garry Rhodes starts his recruitment drive for 2025.
Rossendale and Pendle MRT alongside us held a similar display with two of their Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances and their newly repainted Control Vehicle, like our BM5 Minibus, a donation from Greater Manchester Police to RPMRT.
The Carnival Procession itself which opened the Carnival was a spectacular affair, with decorated floats, brass bands, a Pipe band, dancing troupes, local groups, vintage buses, street acts and numerous other features and the female acrobat suspended from a balloon which headed the procession had to be seen to be believed.
Rossendale and Pendle MRT had the honour of leading the entire procession with their two Land Rover Ambulances, whilst we had the honour of bringing up the rear of the procession with our BM1 vehicle. Once again mountain rescue was in at the start and finish of an event !
With the procession over, both teams received a steady number of interested visitors throughout the day at our respective ’stands,’ with RPMRT even managing to squeeze in a call out to a fallen mountain biker in a Lancashire quarry !
We are pleased to report through sales of second hand books and general donations we directly raised £53.15p at today’s Carnival, with thanks to all those members of the public who so kindly supported us.
Next years event is planned for Saturday 11th June 2011, with the organisers, the Lions Club of Bury, promising an even bigger event than this year, and the team already invited to attend – to which we have accepted.
The teams thanks are expressed to the Lions Club of Bury for so kindly inviting us and involving us in the Bury Carnival, with particular thanks to Scott Richardson, Bury Lions Club / Carnival Chairperson and Activities Officer, who put a lot of work into making the Carnival the success it undoubtedly was today.
