Visit to the team by David Crausby MP for Bolton North West, and representatives from Bolton CVS and ASDA Bolton.

This afternoon the teams President Bob Hutchinson, Life Vice President Tony McNally, Chairman Ken Oakes and Training Officer Elaine Gilliland, welcomed David Crausby, MP for Bolton North West – accompanied by his wife – Mark Grundy from the Bolton Community and Voluntary Services (CVS) Small Grants Award Panel and Chris Baldwin from ASDA, Astley Bridge, Bolton, to join them at our Base / HQ to gain an overview of the teams activities, discuss recent grants and sponsorship opportunities and gain an overview of how the team was allocating its funding at present.

David and his wife, who have been stalwart supporters of the Bolton Mountain Rescue Team over a number of years, contacted Tony recently to enquire how the team was faring with Tony taking the opportunity to invite them both to the team’s Base / HQ.

Recently, Bolton Community and Voluntary Services kindly granted the team a substantial donation of £3,000.00, the maximum grant available under their Small Grants Round, June 2010, (see article 26th July 2010), and the team had invited Mark Grundy of the Small Grants Award Panel to visit us today for a short presentation on the work of the team. Tony gave Mark an overview of the team’s activities and discussed how the £3,000.00 grant has been allocated to the deposit for our newly acquired vehicles, (Three Land Rover Defender 110 Utility Vehicles ordered at the end of June) The visit by Mark Grundy was an ideal opportunity to ask David to accept a plaque of appreciation from Bolton Mountain Rescue Team to Bolton CVS with thanks for their kind donation.

Tony had also invited along today Chris Baldwin from Asda, after seeing an advertisement regarding Asda’s sponsorship of Eagley Bank Cricket Club, and at the conclusion of the visit, Chris with a more informed understanding of how the team functions and what the team’s activities involve, requested that the attending team members draft a business case around team requirements for funding with a possibility of some sponsorship being allocated through Asda’s Foundation Sponsorship Programme.

The team would like to express sincere thanks to David and his wife, Mark and Chris, for taking time out of their busy schedules to visit us as Ladybridge Hall, for the very generous donation from Bolton CVS and for the continuing support shown by all the above mentioned people.