This evening various team members gathered at the Jolly Crofters Public House, Chorley Old Road, Horwich, for our Christmas social drink.

The ‘tables’ quickly sorted themselves out into Probationers (With our Team Life Vice President and founder member Alan James and trainee dog handler Paul Chisholm keeping a fatherly eye on them!)

Support Group table and ‘old gits,’ with a sprinkling of the various team factions in between. (With our good old Mark Scott not quite sure where he should be!)

Fifteen current call out list members attended, alongside five of our Support Group (All had ‘scrubbed up well’ for the evening)

We were joined by ‘recent’ ex team member Carly Raines, who had journeyed from her job with the Ranger Service in Glencoe, and ex team member and former Deputy Team Leader Ian (‘Micro’) Leigh.

Many a laugh was had by the ‘old gits’ about the good old days and by the probationers about no doubt good times to come with the team.

Our Team Leader comments that the six Probationer members present tonight all show great promise for the October 2013 Foundation Course in Mountain Rescue weekend, by their obvious intensive training tonight for the Foundation Course ‘Who can stay up the latest and drink the most title bout.’ (Aided by the multiple rounds of drink apparently purchased by Probationer Michael Wakerley)