Very large donation announcement to Bolton MRT by ASDA

Our Team Life Vice President Tony McNally has been in contact with the Astley Bridge, Bolton store of ASDA for a number of months now regarding any developments from a meeting between Tony and Christine Baldwin, Community Colleague, ASDA, Astley Bridge, Bolton, on Thursday 5th August 2010 (See website ’news’ item dated the same) when Christine kindly offered to investigate what support the ASDA store could give to Bolton MRT via the ASDA Foundation Sponsorship Programme.

On Friday 3rd December Tony was informed that the Astley Bridge, ASDA store had secured support for Bolton Mountain Rescue Team, through the ASDA Foundation Sponsorship Programme, furthermore the support gained was in the form of an absolutely fantastic £10,000.00 donation for team clothing to replace some older team clothing, enhance other areas of team clothing and to provide some completely new items of clothing to the team.

This very generous, kind and much appreciated support of the Bolton Mountain Rescue Team by ASDA can now be made public, such support from the national ASDA Foundation Sponsorship Programme truely echoing the programmes ’strapline;’ “The ASDA Foundation, Supporting your Local Community.”

Today our Team Life Vice President Tony McNally and the teams Honorary Secretary (and stalwart Support Group member) Gillian Gregory, welcomed to our Ladybridge Hall, Bolton, Base / HQ, Paul Wilcox, Store Manager and Christine Baldwin, Store Community Colleague, who then kindly handed over a fantastic cheque for the wonderful amount of £10,000.00.

This huge donation will be utilised by the team to purchase fifty new pairs of Winter Salopettes (Waterproof and thermal lined) for all our Call Out list membership, (Our current garments being eleven years old now), fifty pairs of Waterproof Overtrousers for three season protective wear for all our Call Out list membership, (This being an element of clothing the team membership has not previously had), additional Personal clothing items related to our Water Search and Rescue Team, to increase the number of complete kits available to this element of the overall team, and jackets for the team membership.

All items will carry both the Bolton MRT team badge, incorporating our national MREW badge, and more importantly badgework denoting the very important sponsorship of ASDA.

The team is now in full negotiation with a major UK outdoor clothing manufacturer regarding the salopette and overtrouser items with an order soon to be made.(The other items will follow soon afterwards)

The Bolton Mountain Rescue Team would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank the Astley Bridge, Bolton, ASDA store and the ASDA Foundation Sponsorship Programme for its very kind tremendous support of Bolton MRT.

We would also like to especially thank Christine Baldwin, Community Colleague, and Paul Wilcox, Store Manager, both of ASDA Astley Bridge, for their personal involvement in gaining this huge donation for the Bolton MRT.

Keep watching our website over the coming months for more news on this donation, as items are purchased and we report on such.

(Please note ASDA Astley Bridge is also a regular store collection point for the team, thanks to the support of the store management in allowing the team to collect at this venue)