The Great Milk (stout) Ride 2010
Sunday 5th September 2010 will see the 18th 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, HG3 5BD, where all will be made very welcome.

Registration
All riders must register with the organisers on the day from 8:30am. The first ride sets off at 10am.

Building on Success
Last year (2009) 481 riders were able to hand over £30,000 at the annual Presentation Night in Ye Olde Oak Inn , Low Laithe, near Summerbridge. This took us over the £400,000 which has been handed to Macmillan, since the Ride's inception in 1993.

The Great Milk (stout) Ride is the principal donor to Macmillan in the Harrogate area and is now looking forward to passing the £500,000 total. The best ever year was 2006 when a record 500 riders raised a record £45,000.

Help wanted
Anyone who can spare some time to help out will be more than welcome; there are vacancies with marshalling, car parking, site erection (Saturday 4th September), catering, and registration. Please ring 01423-780389, or email bartoncliff@btopenworld.com

Continuous growth
Since 1993 when 29 riders raised £1,350, through to last year, when 481 riders raised £30,000 The Great Milk (stout) Ride has been able to hand over to Macmillan more than £400,000.

The Great Milk (stout) Ride 2010 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 2010 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.

Local bands for Stout Ride 2010
At 11.45 am, with the riders in this year's Great Milk (stout) Ride on their way, what is now a regular mini music festival will begin, with a limited number of local groups and bands, each performing for about an hour, supported by a barbecue, beer tent, face painting, trade stands, bouncy castle, bucking bronco and various trade stands.

The family fun will continue until late afternoon. James Wilson from Fresh Radio will be providing continuity announcements and interviews during the day. Kevin Branch of "Washburn Creek" will again be organising the PA system.

The Patrick Bickers Memorial Trophy for the top corporate fund raising team was kindly engraved by Martin Newton of Trophies & Engraving of Cold Bath Road, Harrogate, ready for presentation to last year's winning team, Erudine of Harrogate.

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.