News archive

Jolly Crofters Fundraising Team

5th August 2013

On Friday 2nd August 2013, our Secretary Gillian Gregory reported on the news from Bernadette Tither at New Bury Community Learning Centre regarding the Youth Club members’ Summer Challenge 2013 – Welsh Coast Cycle Ride, to raise funds for Bolton Mountain Rescue Team, – the team set off to the start point at Cardiff as planned on Saturday 27th July and the news from their leader, Eddie Birchall, was that all was going well.

Each year members of New Bury Voluntary Youth Club take on a challenging event for a local charity.

In 2011 they raised an amazing £2,725.00 for Bolton Hospice by climbing the Three Peaks (Ben Nevis, Scafell, Snowdon) and then cycled Bolton – Workington – Whitby. In 2012 it was the turn of Guide Dogs for the Blind to benefit in the sum of £1,700.00, when youth club members walked The Pennine Way.

This year their Summer Challenge 2013, is a bicycle ride all along the Welsh coast, which started at Cardiff, with all sponsorship and other monies raised going towards supporting Bolton Mountain Rescue Team. (A real honour for us to have been chosen as their charity beneficiary)

This evening our Secretary Gillian Gregory has been in touch with Eddie Birchall, the leader of the cyclists. They are currently at Conway and are moving on to Rhyl. They could easily finish the challenge before Friday, (Their originally scheduled end day) but as one of the lad’s parents has a caravan at Rhyl, and another parent is bringing a tent down to them, they are all happy to stay for a few days break and finish on Friday as originally planned.

They expect to arrive near New Bury Estate, Farnworth, at around 14:00 – 14:30hrs on Friday afternoon, 9th August 2013, where the team is planning to meet the cyclists and give them a Bolton MRT Land Rover ‘escort’ in to the estate.

Yesterday, with thanks to the kindness of all at ‘C’ Flight, 22 Squadron, RAF Helicopter Search and Rescue, as arranged by our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE with the very understanding and friendly helpful squadron personal, all the cyclists and their support members enjoyed a special visit to see the Sea King helicopter equipped ‘C’ Flight, 22 Squadron of RAF Valley, where they were split into two groups and shown around this very busy Search and Rescue helicopter flight.

Unfortunately, the RAF SAR Flight was called out to an emergency, so their visit was cut short! Even so, the cyclists enjoyed the visit, because they got to see what happened when the helicopter was “scrambled” and the hectic, but well-organised procedure associated with an operational helicopter SAR Flight call out. (Today an Officer from ‘C’ Flight, 22 Squadron, RAF Valley, even kindly telephoned our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE to ‘apologise’ for having to cut short the visit for the cyclists)

All at Bolton Mountain Rescue Team are very grateful to the members of New Bury Youth Club and their helpers who are supporting the Bolton MRT in this fantastic and much appreciated way.

Please also see website ‘News’ reports dated Friday 2nd August, Monday 10th june, Monday 20th May and Friday 12th April 2013.

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