Team leader and team secretary meet Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall
Two members of the team – team leader Andy Simpson and team secretary Judy Whiteside – were flying the mountain rescue flag (metaphorically!) at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party in July, representing Mountain Rescue (England & Wales).
T
he event was in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and organised to 'celebrate and showcase some of the work of the nine leading youth organisations and officially launch their partnership in YOU London.' The idea is to recruit more adult volunteers, to enable more young people to join, and to share some resources.
Ten of us went along to represent Mountain Rescue, in the company of a handful of guests. Our 'quota' for the day was just twenty people and our guest list was drawn from those who have consistently supported us in recent years (both nationally and locally) including Stephen Darwen from James Tricketts Insurance Brokers in Rawtenstall.
The day passed in something of a whirlwind, from stepping aboard the train at Manchester Piccadilly just before lunch, to walking through those iconic gates (at 3.00pm sharp with ID and admittance card in hand!), crossing the perfectly manicured gravel, savouring the cucumber butties and chatting with our guests, and alighting from the train again later that evening. We met the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and managed to give Charles a supporters badge – which we hope he will wear with pride! Small steps.
In the photo: Team Leader Andy Simpson (far left), Team Secretary Judy Whiteside (second left).
posted Sunday, July 26, 2009