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THEIR BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKING...
LES Pritchard
(88) and Betty Kendrick (80) from Southport have walked 10 miles to
raise funds for The North West Air Ambulance. The walk is made
all the more significant with Les being virtually blind and deaf. He
fondly refers to his friend Betty as his very own 'guide dog'..!
The 10 mile walk took the pair from Heaton's Bridge in Ormskirk to
Maghull via the canal.
Raising £705, the pensioners visited Blackpool Airport and North
West Air Ambulance helicopter 'Katie' this week to see for
themselves where their money will be put to use.
Lynda Brislin, charity chief executive for The North West Air
Ambulance said:- "What Les and Betty have done is truly
remarkable and I am speaking on behalf of everyone at The North West
Air Ambulance when I say how grateful we are. We receive no
government funding to stay operational, relying solely on the
generosity of businesses and the public like Les and Betty to stay
in the region's skies."
Betty volunteers at the North West Air Ambulance shop in Southport
and after Les visited Betty at the shop, both agreed to take on the
walk for the region's only air emergency service. The funds raised
will fund almost 3 vital days of fuel for 'Katie'.
The NWAA is a registered charity receiving no government funding to
stay airborne. At an operational cost of 1.8 million a year, the
service in funded solely by the generosity of the public and
businesses throughout the North West. The NWAA provides a
vital service 7 days a week, 365 days a year, across 5,500 square
miles, serving a residential population of seven million, and covers
all major road incidents, sporting accidents and incidents in areas
that have poor and restricted road access. On average the NWAA is
called out up to 10 times a day in the summer. |
Kids get ready for a Wii challenge!
SCHOOL children
across the region will be in their element this summer with a unique
range of specialist sport and exercise activities. Venues in
Ormskirk, Skelmersdale, Southport and Crosby will be hosting over 20
activities from expert instructors which range from yoga and Pilates
to martial arts and street dance.
The 3 day camps are
aimed at boys and girls aged 5-11 and are run by Burscough based
Grassroots Sport UK in conjunction with the children’s charity
Barnardo’s. The events aim to engage, motivate and inspire young
people be it the school sports star or those traditionally less keen
on P.E. Programme co-ordinator Emma Duxbury said:- “Our Easter
events were a fantastic success and we expect to be over subscribed
this summer, the children love taking part in activities they don’t
have access to during PE lessons in school.”
Children attending
the events will also have the opportunity to win a brand new
Nintendo Wii games console. Emma said:- “The Wii is a great
compliment to traditional sport and exercise as it appeals to
children who play computer games whilst promoting physical activity
due to the nature of the hand held controller. I played a tennis
game on the Wii last week and felt myself getting out of breath as
if it was the real thing!”
The dates and venues
are:- Ormskirk School, Ormskirk:- 24
July to 26 July 2007, 10am to 3pm
Sacred Heart Catholic College, Crosby:- 24 July to 26 July 2007, 10am
to 3pm
King George V College, Southport:- 31 July to 2 August 2007, 10am to 3pm
Glenburn Sports College, Skelmersdale:- 7 August to 9 August 2007, 10am
to 3pm
Places on the camps are strictly limited and must be booked in
advance.
Early bird booking discounts are available.
For more
information contact Grassroots Sport UK on 01704 897720. |
