Pateley brothers to sponsor Stout Ride medals

Erudine, based at Central House, Beckwith Knowle, Harrogate, is a highly innovative software development company. Started in 2002 by Pateley Bridge born brothers Martin and Phil Rice, Erudine is set to revolutionise the IT industry with its radical new technology - Erudine’s Behaviour Engine, detailed at http://www.erudine.co.uk/

The company has been a sponsor of the Great Milk (stout) Ride for the last two years, as well as entering their own teams, (pictured after last year's ride). When a new sponsor for the medals and certificates was needed, Erudine agreed to fulfil that roll without hesitation. They have already registered a team of seven for this year’s ride and hope to win the new Patrick Bickers Memorial Corporate Trophy (see earlier blog) and are throwing down a challenge to other Harrogate corporate bodies to join them at the Nidderdale Agricultural Society’s Pateley Bridge show ground on 6th September and help the 17th Great milk (stout) Ride pass the £400,000 total, since its beginning in 1993.

Registrations up on last year

Registrations to the end of July are running at 25% up on last year, having passed the 104 mark. A spokesman tells us that August is the month when the surge usually comes and they are looking forward to maintaining the trend. Team entries are also up again at nineteen so far, with teams from Bingley, Middlesbrough, Huddersfield, Morley, South Elmsall, South Milford, Pontefract as well as locals from the Harrogate District. Old favourites Crown at Middlesmoor, Carly’s Angels, Team VIRR, Team Simon have been joined by Dacre Son & Hartley, Team Spong, Riverside Caravan Park and Ye Olde Oak and many more.

The landlords' ride is also being revived this year, where local mine-hosts will be set to cycle from one hostelry to another, and they have even been known to sample the waters, strictly in the line of duty of course!

Strawberry Teas support 2009 Ride

This year's event was again held at Marion Stockdale's home, The Paddock, Clapham Green, HighBirstwith, Harrogate, on Saturday 11th July, between 2 and 4pm. Beside strawberry teas, stalls of cakes, tombola, raffle, books, visitors were able to eat, drink tea and enjoy a chat, in either the garden, or the comfort of her home. The weather was kind this year enabling people to sit in the sun and admire Marion's yellow rose bed, with the paddock beyond. Marion tells us that she has been staging the Strawberry Fayre event for the last 25 years in support of Macmillan and has kindly donated her proceeds to the Great Milk (stout) Ride for the last six years.
Donations of prizes, cakes, read books were greatly appreciated to make (so far) this year's, £821.62, another great contribution to GMsR and Macmillan.Marion has asked us to express a big, big thank you to all the members of her team and her generous donors, without whom she couldn't keep producing these amazing results.

New Corporate Trophy for 2009

The Patrick Bickers Memorial Trophy for the top corporate fund raising team has now been kindly engraved by Martin Newton of Trophies & Engraving of Cold Bath Road, Harrogate, ready for presentation to the winning team later this year.

Patrick was one of the founding committee members of The Great Milk (stout) Ride, run in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Patrick, of Glasshouses, died from cancer, on Friday 3rd October 2008 in Harrogate District Hospital, surrounded by his family. A tireless worker for this annual Nidderdale event, Patrick devised and looked after the complex registration system and was instrumental in steering the process through to an automatic on-line procedure, when the new website was introduced in 2007.
The trophy (pictured) takes the form of a silver plated Celtic Quaich Bowl, mounted on a mahogany plinth around which are four panels, three for winners names. A Quaich (pronounced ‘kweix’), is a special kind of shallow two-handled drinking cup or bowl in Scotland deriving from the Gaelic cuach meaning cup. It was a family choice felt appropriate, because Patrick was very fond of Scotland and was a keen collector of Highland malt whiskies.
Spokesman for the Ride, Cliff Barton says that there has been an increase in teams entered by companies both from Harrogate and as far afield as Doncaster, Bingley, Huddersfield and beyond. The organising committee felt that it was time to provide a special trophy to be competed for exclusively by the corporate sector, at the same time they wanted to commemorate a long time friend and fellow committee member, who is sadly missed.
To register on line go to www.gmsr.co.uk where from teams and/or individual riders can register and download all the information they need to take part in the event, including sponsorship forms, route maps, information letter, posters and team sheets, car window stickers.

Fresh Radio promoting Great Milk (stout) Ride

An invitation to appear live on this morning's Breakfast Show and visit the brand new studios of Fresh Radio at The Watermill Site, Broughton Hall, on the A59 south of Skipton, was an opportunity to meet joint owner and Managing Director Julian Hotchkiss and old friend of GMsR Head of News, James Wilson.

The interview, which took the form of a three way conversation, went out live over two parts and discussed the origins of the Ride in 1993, when 29 riders raised £1350 and its steady rise in numbers and sponsorship donations to Macmillan, when last year 386 riders produced £40,000. The total so far handed to Macmillan is over £371,000 and this year should see us pass £400,000.

James Wilson, who was born and raised in Nidderdale, commented that he had interviewed 79 year old Sid Brayshaw, who will be riding in his 14th ride since 1995. Sid is seen in a previous blog finishing in 2005.

Fresh Radio, now a truly independent radio station owned jointly by Roger Tempest of Broughton Hall and Julian Hotchkiss, is moving with confidence into becoming a local broadcasting force to be reckoned with.

Pictured above are (l to r) James, Julian and Cliff Barton during the broadcast.

Strawberry Teas at Birstwith to support 2009 Ride

This year's event will be again held at Marion Stockdale's home, The Paddock, Clapham Green, High Birstwith, Harrogate, on Saturday 11th July, between 2 and 4pm. Beside strawberry teas, stalls of cakes, tombola, raffle, books, guess the weight of the cake and name the teddy, visitors will be able to eat, drink tea and enjoy a chat, in either the garden, or the comfort of her home. Marion tells us that she has been staging the Strawberry Fayre event for the last 24 years in support of Macmillan and has kindly donated her proceeds to the Great Milk (stout) Ride for the last five years.

Donations of prizes, cakes, read books were greatly appreciated to make last year's, at £827.27, another great contribution to GMsR and Macmillan.

Marion has asked us to express a big, big thank you to all the members of her team and her generous donors, without whom she couldn't keep producing these amazing results.