This evening our Team President Bob Hutchinson (A former Bolton MRT Team Leader) in the company of his wife Janet, attended at the very kind invitation of the Bolton and District Butchers Guardian and Benevolent Association, their Annual Dinner evening.

Held at Rivington Hall Barn, Lever Park, Rivington, each year money is raised for charity and this year we were kindly informed we were to be their charity beneficiary.

Bob was invited at the dinner by the President of the Bolton and District Butchers Guardian and Benevolent Association, Mr David Hamer, to say a few words about the work of the team, which proved to be no problem as Bob was able to directly refer to our work assisting the local community during the heavy snowfall of the previous evening and the early morning of today when we were tasked with attending fourteen separate incidents by NWAS. (See Incidents 18 – 31, 2013)

Furthermore Bob mentioned not only had we been called out early this afternoon on a protracted incident lasting into the early evening, (See Incident 32 – 2013) but as all were enjoying this very special Annual Dinner, the team were currently deployed on a search operation on the still very wintry moors directly above the Rivington Hall Barn venue! (See Incident 33 – 2013)
Bob and Janet on behalf of Bolton Mountain Rescue Team, accepted with the full gratitude of the team membership a truly wonderful £500.00 from the Bolton and District Butchers Guardian and Benevolent Association.

(With thanks to Mr J.V. Morris, Secretary of the Bolton and District Butchers Guardian and Benevolent Association for the initial invitation to the team to attend)

There follows a personal report on the evenings proceedings by Bob Hutchinson.

“This evening my wife Janet and I were invited to the Annual Dinner Dance of the Bolton and District Butchers’ Guardian and Benevolent Society. Bolton MRT had been chosen as their charity of the year and we were there to receive a cheque on behalf of the Team. The function was held at the Rivington Hall Barn, which was, for us, a very appropriate setting especially in view of the heavy snowfall the previous evening. The staff of the Hall had done a magnificent job of clearing the snow from the approach road and the car parks and I believe all 323 (I think) guests arrived safely although the start was delayed for 30 minutes to allow extra time for late arrivals.
Janet and I were the honoured guests of Mr David Hamer, the President of the Society, and his wife. Indeed it was Mr Hamer who had chosen the Team to be the recipient of the donation. After welcoming drinks the guests were called to be seated and then those seated at the ’top table’ were announced to the seated guests and clapped to their places. A starter of butternut squash soup and rolls was served and this was followed by the magnificent spectacle of the enormous ribs of beef entering the hall behind a piper and paraded around the room. The ribs were then carved in the hall on specially placed tables and quickly served to all the guests. Choice of sweet followed then cheese and biscuits and liqueurs.

The meal over there were some toasts and then Mr Hamer very kindly presented me with a cheque for the Team to the value of a magnificent £500.00! It was then time for me to say a few words of thanks and a few words about the team. Of course the events of the previous evening made a good story and even better was that during the meal the team was called to the stranded people right above the Barn. Couldn’t have written the script!

Formalities over the music started and it was only a couple of minutes before the dance floor was packed. Janet and I had one for the road and left relatively early, the party was to carry on till 1am. Of course I couldn’t last the pace having been out all Friday night night til 6.00am Saturday morning. Let me add finally a huge thank you from the Team and also a special thank you from Janet and me for making us so welcome.”