Bikers ride to help heroes

Bikers will ride to Army, Navy and RAF bases to raise cash for charity.

Around 50 riders on their Harley Davidson motorbikes will complete the A-B-C ride from the Albermarle barracks, in Tynedale, to RAF Boulmer, then down to HMS Calliope on Newcastle's quayside.
The all-day ride on Saturday will see bikers flying Union flags and shaking the coffers for services charity Help for Heroes as they cover almost 100 miles on the region's roads.

"They have a lot of things like this down south so we wanted to do one for the North East," said organiser and Harley Davidson enthusiast John Johnston, from Ponteland, Northumberland.

"Last year we had about 30 riders so we are hoping this year will be even bigger and better.

"We want to raise as much money as possible for all three of the armed forces, which is why we are visiting each of their bases in the North East.

"Help for Heroes is a brilliant charity which does so much good work for injured soldiers, sailors and airmen."

The route, which takes in Stamfordham, Belsay, Rothbury, Boulmer, North Tyneside and Newcastle will include a lunch stop in Alnwick at around noon.

The riders expect to finish their trip at around 2pm and will then ride to the Harley Davidson dealership in Newcastle.

To donate, or to buy a pin badge supporting the ride, contact John on 01661 824713.

Source: JournalLive

Mountaineer Tony reaches his peak - and then some

A PONTELAND man's fundraising drive for his mountain climb has already gone much higher than the original lofty target.

Experienced mountaineer Tony Hodson aimed to collect £6,962 for the Help for Heroes charity as that figure is the height in metres of Mount Aconcagua in Argentina.

But the management consultant is delighted with the response, which is currently more than £8,800, to sponsor his attempt to reach the peak of the tallest mountain in the world outside of the Himalayas next month.

And he has received plenty of support from local groups, including Ponteland Lions Club, Ponteland Methodist Church and Ponteland Boys and Girls Brigade.

A recent fair at the church to sell his wife's jams, cakes and buns, hold raffles and provide games such as guess the name of a teddy bear, was also productive as it raised £138.65.

"I have been genuinely blown away by people's enthusiasm, support and generosity and reaching the target so quickly, then significantly passing it, is beyond my wildest expectations," said Mr Hodson.

"The response from the Ponteland community has been a very pleasant and welcome surprise and there was a healthy number of people at the church when we held the fair which benefited us.

"It was also great to hear that a Sixth Form student at King Edward VI School in Morpeth called Braden Davy, who is very passionate about Help for Heroes, decided to hold a school quiz which raised £50."

The Darras Hall resident is pleased with how his training is going for the climb.

He sets off for Argentina on January 8 and hopes to reach the mountain summit on either January 23, 24 or 25, depending on weather conditions.

"There's still a bit of fundraising to go and it would be nice to reach £10,000 plus the Gift Aid contributions," he added.

"But now the bulk of it is out of the way I'm really looking forward to the climb itself and I'm currently getting things ready, which includes making sure my equipment meets the airline's requirements and having all the injections I need."

For more details about Mr Hodson's climb and to donate, visit www.justgiving.com/climbaconcagua2010

A travel blog has also been set-up to provide updates of the trip.

It can be found at www.getjealous.com/climbaconcagua2010

Source: Morpeth Herald