It was Ho Ho Ho in the Wanted Inn at Sparrowpit the week before Christmas when Santa popped in to deliver a few presents. The locals packed the pub and were treated to a festive night of carols accompanied by Sparrowpit Brass Band. The hosts, Steve and Sheila Philips, provided magnificent mince pies and led the party games in a fun night enjoyed by all.

However, the evening also had the serious aim of raising money for two volunteer local rescue teams. Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation, and Buxton Mountain Rescue Team each received a generous £125 at an informal presentation night in the pub last Tuesday night.

Roger Bennett, Chairman of Buxton MRT, said: “Local support like this is really appreciated by the rescue teams. It is good to know that our voluntary work is valued. Both rescue teams are always looking for cash to keep the services operational and together offer a huge thank you to Sheila, Steve and all the Sparrowpit community.”

The body of Jai Ashton was located by Megan, hidden deep in woodland brush. A murder investigation by police followed, resulting in the conviction of a local man who was sentenced to serve a minimum of 28 years imprisonment.

Derbyshire Constabulary invited the volunteer Mountain Rescue Team, together with Dave and Megan to a “Celebrating Achievement Awards” ceremony at its Police Headquarters, in Ripley, to each receive the Chief Constables Commendation.

Dave said: “The body of Jai had been hidden so well it is possible that she would not have been found without the use of a dog. This was a challenging search. Megan’s find ensured that vital forensic evidence was secured. I am extremely proud of her.”

The awards ceremony took place at Derbyshire Constabulary HQ, Butterley Hall, Ripley on Tuesday 6th December 2011. The presentation was made by the Chief Constable Mr Mick Creedon. Dave is a serving Derbyshire Police Officer, currently based at Buxton. In his spare time, he is Deputy Team Leader of Buxton Mountain Rescue Team. Please see post for further details of the call-out, including a link to the BBC report.

Many thanks to The Old Medical School Walking Association.

Since 1964, when we were established, we’ve given 47 years of service, a 24 hours, 365 days a year cover to both the local and visiting communities. Maintained entirely by volunteers, and made possible by the invaluable donations, and fund-raising support of many creative, enterprising groups and individuals who raise funds for us year in, year out. This is an award we should all be proud to share.

Buxton Mountain Rescue Team was represented at the award event by its President, Ian Hurst (above left), and its first Leader, Howard Hodgkinson. Thank you, Rotary.

Last Christmas (2010), the ingenious Gillian Halliday raised money for the team by devising and selling a quizz. Encouraged by the results, Gillian has produced a new quizz for 2011. This goes on release Thurs. 1st Sept.

The theme is animals, or rather, place names within the British Isles that contain the name of an animal (not birds). Clues are cryptic, general knowledge and anagrams.
Example: Q: Recently been made a royal town (7,7) A: Wootton Bassett

We’d love you to get a copy. So, switch off the tele. Orgainse a social event for family and/or friends. All details below.

Kind thanks once again to Gillian, for her time and effort in offering this fundraising activity for the team.

To obtain the quiz:

Angela will be one of 54,000 runners participating in what is claimed to be the largest half marathon in the world.

This year is the third time Angela has run the race to raise money for Buxton MRT and we all wish her the best of luck in trying to beat her personal best time.

She has already raised a goodly sums of money for the team in 2008 and 2009.  However, this year she needs your support as she says “Friends and family are getting a bit fed up of me chasing them for sponsorship money!”  So can you help her?

There’s not long left with the race just two weeks away so please hit the donate button to send her some encouragement.

Visit; www.justgiving.com/angiegarton

Good luck Angela – and many thanks for working so hard to support the team.

Angela Garton, an RSPCA Wildlife Rehabilitation Officer, photographed after the 2008 race.

Aside from its purpose of bringing the community together in a creative endeavour, it is also a major fundraising event that supports local charities. Buxton Mountain Rescue Team is one of the lucky beneficiaries – which is why we, together with the residents of Wormhill, warmly encourage you to participate in the various events happening throughout the celebratory week (27th Aug – 4th Sept): from the Well Blessing Service, to a Children’s Party, to the Wormhill Stomp. Or, you can simply drop by and view the beautiful and intricate designs made from local and natural materials. Delcious home-made refreshments will be served daily in the village hall.

Find out more about the Wormhill festivities from this event listing.

If you are intrigued, why not fill yourself in on background information about the unique custom of well dressing.

Thanks to the generosity of visitors in 2011, we have benefited from a donation of £200. The eye-catching design was on display at the Navigation Inn, which is a busy place now that the canal basin is restored and bustling with recreational barges and people walking the tow path.

If you’d like to see how different and creative the designs are from year to year, please check out the 2010 article.

We are very grateful indeed to the organisers for thinking of, and supporting us.

Mike kindly wrote up a brief account of the walk, and sent us these photo’s.

Mel and I picked up a pebble each on the beach at St Bees near Whitehaven on the Irish Sea and set off on our Coast to Coast walk on Wednesday 29th June.  We were lucky that the start of our adventure coincided with British Summertime, which as you all know, took place from 28th June all the way through to 4th July.

The Coast to Coast walk takes you 190 miles (and more) across the width of Britain, passing through some of the loveliest countryside we have – but it is a hard walk. If you add together the ascents, they total more than the height of Everest.  We heard many stories along the way from other walkers and guest house owners about people who had to give up their journey, some when they were heart-breakingly close to the finish. Although we did finish the walk, it wasn’t without incident which put us temporarily in mind to discontinue, too. On the very first day of the walk Mel was bitten by a ‘clegg’ (horsefly). Her hand swelled up over the next day and by day 3, she was in a lot of pain and feeling distinctly grotty.  The bite had become infected. Luckily, antibiotics were obtained, which improved the situation, and so we were able to carry on.
 
The 4 days through Cumbria and the Lake District were perhaps the most challenging part of the walk. It involved numerous ascents and descents on sometimes very difficult terrain.  The wonderful weather however, meant that the views from the summits were absolutely glorious, which made the climbs very worthwhile, as I hope you can see from the photos below. One highlight was the Nine Standards Rigg, which stand on a rugged peak in the Pennines near Kirkby Stephen.  The purpose of these mysterious ancient structures is unknown, but they are enigmatic and frequently lost in low cloud and pouring rain – as indeed they were on the day we visited. 

By mid-July, just over two weeks later, we arrived at Robin Hoods Bay, the finish. We threw the pebbles that we had carried from St Bees on the Irish Sea out into the North Sea, wet our boots, and headed into Wainwright’s bar to celebrate!

Well done! We’re sure you both deserved every drop. Mel & Mike are still collecting. If you would like to contribute, here is the link.
 

It’s not everyday a Mountain Rescue Team attracts a donation of over £1000. Luckily for us in Buxton, there are plenty of pubs and no shortage of people willing to walk a scenic route between them – not just for themselves, but in order to support local charities.

It may be easy to miss a small small pub located in a village near Macclesfield, but not the substantial donation they raised and gave the team recently. Richard, the landlord of the St. Dunstan Inn, Langley, coordinates with 10 other pubs in the vicinity to plot a 15 mile circular route with pit-stops. The honorable hostelries involved include: Leather Smithy, the Stanley Arms, the Crag Inn, the Wild Boar, the Hanging Gate, the Ryles Arms, the Lamb Inn, Sutton Hall, the Kings Head, Chard House, and of course, St. Dunstan’s Inn.

Richard himself can’t understand why anyone walks(!) although he knows the local scenery is tops. The St.Dunstan’s Inn does not normally offer food, but Richard breaks the rule on occasion and puts himself out to ensure there is plenty of good grub and liquid refreshment. He knows that being well-fed and watered is a big attraction.

The Langley 11 is in fact run twice a year, to support different charities. The event is so popular that participation is by ticket only. People travel from as far as Liverpool and even further, ‘down south’. Whole families get involved so people of all ages take part. If you fancy geting involved in a future one (next one is 10th Sept 2011), or even wish to replicate the Langley 11 walking route, please feel free to contact Richard by phone in the evenings (after 5pm).

Buxton Mountain Rescue Team says ‘Cheers’ to all the landlords and their patrons for their enthusiasm, energy, generosity and big spirits. We always value donations, whatever their size. At a time when we are developing an extra base in Buxton (jointly shared with other emergency services), each and every contribution is highly appreciated. Thank you very much indeed.