Today, under uncertain skies, thirteen Team members and three Team Support Group members along with Alison and Hannah Greenough, wife and daughter of Team Call Out Member, Alistair Greenough, ventured to Tockholes Village Gala. This year, the Gala organisers had selected Bolton Mountain Rescue Team as the Charity Beneficiary of 2011 and invited the team to display their vehicles and equipment.
Setting up our stalls
The Gala, attracting a very large number of visitors to this delightful village, nestling on the edge of the moors, was very well attended from start to finish by villagers and guests from further afield.
A further four Call Out list members and two Support Group members joined throughout the day where all attending members of the Support Group, Howard and Teresa Gilliland, Iain Clarkson, Julie Thompson and Gillian Gregory, worked throughout the day selling cakes and books to the attending crowds.
placing hay around our stall and vehicles in an attempt to cover the mud
Two of our new Landrover Defender 110 Utility Team vehicles were on show, along with our Search and Rescue Boat and a display of our search and rescue equipment.
A volunteer roped in to assist in collecting duties
Full credit must go to the Tockholes Village Gala organisers for the wide range of activities present, including stalls, a excellent Brass Band, displays (Birds of Prey, Pet Handling, Belly and Irish Dancing) and competitions, including ’Welly’ Throwing, Tug of War and Football matches.
Human table top football in action
As the sun started to shine, Bolton Mountain Rescue entered two teams of five members into the ‘Table Top Football’ and surprisingly came first and second in the competition against ‘The Engineers’ and ‘The White Lion’ Teams – participants from the local pubs, (although a few fouls were committed by all entering teams).
The Bolton A and Bolton B human table top football teams
Feeling confident after such a success at the football, the team then entered a six man ‘Tug of War’ team against Turton and Top Lock Tug of War Teams…….at least we were confident until we had view of the opposing teams.
A panda eyeing up the cake stall
Confidence slightly waned during the first ‘bout’ against Turton during which the BMRT team were slowly pulled (twice) to the losing tape.
Confidence hit rock bottom when the BMRT team then had view of the Top Lock Team. With steel embossed heels on their boots, a sure and very confident stance and a ‘man mountain’ (no….not a pun), as their anchor, the BMRT team nervously giggled. With a better rhythm after their encounter with Turton, the team stood firm for at least two minutes on both bouts with the Top Lock team, but were rapidly pulled over the line.
The first defeat against the Young Farmers
With the second hand book stall (’Any donation accepted!’), the cake stall, a huge display of generosity through donations and the purchase of BMRT wristbands by visitors to the Gala, the team received a fantastic amount of £273:00.
The team would like to express grateful thanks to all the visitors to the Tockholes Village Gala who so kindly and generously supported the team through purchases of our fair and extremely kind donations.
The tug-o-war team against the reining and eventual champions Top Lock
The whole team membership would like to thank all involved in organising this years Tockholes Village Gala for choosing Bolton Mountain Rescue Team as the Charity Beneficiary for 2011, and also for putting on such an excellent and enjoyable day for us all.
