Welcome to GMsR 2011 and thank you for taking part
Sunday 4th September 2011 will see the 19th running of this annual event, which is held to celebrate the memory of John Woodhouse, of Glasshouses and to support the organisation which has helped so many cancer sufferers and their families over the years.

This year we’re again at the “Showground”
The Great Milk (stout) Ride and all the associated entertainment will this year be taking place at the Nidderdale Agricultural Society Pateley Bridge Showground, where all will be made very welcome.

Continuous growth
Since 1993 when 29 riders raised £1,350, through to last year, when 450 riders raised £30,000 The Great Milk (stout) Ride has been able to hand over to Macmillan more than £430,000.

The Great Milk (stout) Ride 2011 expects to be able to continue its record breaking progress by inviting even more riders to produce even more money for Macmillan, by involving more pubs, more companies and more people, from within the Harrogate area having fun supporting Macmillan. Everyone completing the Great Milk (stout) Ride 2011 will get a dated medal and a certificate to show to their sponsors. Every Pub and Team Challenge entry will receive a Poster/Certificate to display on their wall for customers/drinking chums to appreciate.

Sponsorship
Everything we do in the ride is about you coming to have a great day out and enjoying the ride, whilst raising money for a great charity. We do know that at the moment getting sponsorship is difficult in the current times, but please remember that we need you to give us some sponsorship. So if you are unable to get any sponsorship then we will ask you to donate
£10 on the day towards the charity!

Why not enter your own team and come and join us?
• DO please read the information on Gift Aid. This will enable Macmillan to collect 25p in every pound from the government on behalf of tax paying sponsors.
• DON’T forget to visit our web site and blog, where you can keep up to date with all the latest news.
• Download the PDF files of poster, team sheet and car stickers and display as appropriate.

Remember: "It's a Ride not a Race". The roads will NOT be closed; they will be open to all vehicles, small and large. For your own safety, and that of others, please take care to ride carefully and safely.

Yours sincerely
The “Great Milk (stout) Ride” 2011 team!
PS. Why not recruit another friend, or colleague to join you/us on the 4th September.
See what you can do, please, and good luck.

The ride is very well supported this year so well done to everyone taking part and contributing to this event. Weve compiled the statistics for all to see so go to this page to see more information.

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.

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.