Today one of our Team Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances with Call Out List Team Members David Crawford, Andy Kench and Dave Marsh (as well as Trainee Drowned Victim Search Dog Sasha) attended this years East Lancashire Mark Fellowship (Masons) Fun Day, at Rochdale Rugby Union Club, Bamford, Rochdale. Also present were Mountain Rescue colleagues from the Rossendale and Pendle team and the Oldham team. All three teams have previously been the grateful beneficiaries of extremely generous donations from the East Lancashire Mark (Masons) Benevolent Fund Limited, which purchased and equipped our team and Oldham MRT with a brand new Land Rover MR Ambulance and the Rossendale and Pendle MRT with a brand new Discovery MR Ambulance. In recognition of this extremely kind generosity (An amazing £40,000.00 to each team) the Bolton Team has one of its three new Land Rovers named ‘The Mark Mason’, and it was this vehicle which attended today. (All three of our new Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances also carry bonnet lettering acknowledging the support of the Mark Masons)

Our team members present were fortunate to be greeted by bright sunshine, a welcome change during this wet summer. We displayed and demonstrated various items of our search and rescue equipment, showed people around the vehicle and answered questions from interested members of the public. As always, Sasha was the biggest draw, with people keen to pat her and talk about her work with her handler Dave Marsh.

Also on display were a collection of classic cars, birds of prey, various sideshows, a bouncy castle and fun fair rides. We were not there to raise funds, but generous members of the public put £6.04p in our collecting bucket. We appreciate this opportunity to show the East Lancashire Mark Master Masons the good use to which their money has been put, and express appreciation to them by supporting this event.

(Please also see website ‘News’ reports dated Sunday 28th August 2011 and Sunday 29th August 2010)