Local bands for Stout Ride 2009
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 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.

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 5th September), catering, and registration. Please ring 01423-780389, or email bartoncliff@btopenworld.com

The things they're doing for Macmillan

Sandra Bradley (seen with husband Keith), of Dacre Banks, is organising a Dining-for-Macmillan event at Fewston Village Hall on Bank Holiday Monday 31st August. Between 10am and 4.30 she and her team of volunteers will be serving teas at this picturesque location overlooking the Washburn valley, with all proceeds going via the Great Milk (stout) Ride, to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Two similar events in previous years raised £200 and £850 and Sandra is hopeful of continuing the trend again this year.

As of 14th August we have 196 riders registered with 25 teams made up of 164 riders and a further 32 individual riders. So if you haven't done so yet "get it on" go to the Register and enter either yourself, or your team!

New medals and certificates for 2009
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Brand new medals and certificates for 2009 sporting the Erudine logo are now ready to be loaded into individual
plastic sleeves for presentation to each rider, along with a welcome bottle of water sponsored by Yorkshire Water, as they cross the finishing line at the Nidderdale Agricultural Society’s show field at Pateley Bridge on September 6th this year. Yorkshire Water is also providing the water at the two drinks stops situated round both the 20 mile Full Monty and the 10 mile Half Litre rides.

New 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.
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 the Registration Page, 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.

Still Pedaling for MacMillan
Sid Brayshaw will be eighty on 23rd December, but he will be joining the hundreds of younger riders to support the 17th annual Great Milk (stout) Ride on Sunday 6th September.

Sid and his wife Marie, who live near the Birchtree Inn, Wilsill, from where the event began in 1993, has taken part in every ride since 1995 are seen here proudly surveying every medal and certificate he has won since then.

Sid, seen finishing in 2005, will again be riding for Ye Olde Oak team in Low Laithe, where his son Geoff and partner Debbie Marshall, landlady are currently recruiting more members, with a view to challenging the team from The Crown Inn, Middlesmoor, who have won the Pub Team trophy for the lastseven years.

2009 Charity Bike Ride aims for £400,000
September date for annual Great Milk (stout) Ride
It has just been confirmed that the 17th annual Great Milk (stout) Ride supporting Macmillan Cancer Support will be held on Sunday 6th September 2009 at the Nidderdale Agricultural Society’s show ground in Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire.

A spokesman for the event, said that the organising committee were delighted to hear that the established date of the second Sunday in September would again see the running of this  annual event, which has raised over £371,000 for Macmillan, since its inception in 1993.

The first ride raised £1350 from 29 riders, an apparently staggering amount from what was a motley collection of regulars at the Birch Tree Inn, Wilsill, near Pateley Bridge to commemorate the recent death of a domino playing friend, John Woodhouse of Glasshouses, whose family had been greatly supported by Macmillan.

Last year (2008) 381 riders were able to hand over £40,000 to the Macmillan segment of mega fundraiser Mike Tomlinson, to help Jane’s Fund achieve their target of £2,000,000 at the annual Presentation Night in Ye Olde Oak Inn, Low Laithe, near Summerbridge.

The Great Milk (stout) Ride is the principal donor to Macmillan in the Harrogate area and is, this year, looking forward to passing the £400,000 total since inception. Their best ever year was 2006 when a record 500 riders raised a record £45,000.