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News
The 21th Pidley Teddy Bear Freefall Competition 2018 - date announced – Saturday 8th September
Ten teddy bears are in the final tough stages of training for the 20th Pidley International Teddy Bear Freefall Competition, raising much-needed funds for local charity Pidley Mountain Rescue Team.
The charity jump starts at 10am till 2pm on Saturday 9th September at Rookery Farm, Pidley, near Huntingdon and is a great day out for all the family; over 500 supporters attending last year’s event with free-entry and parking. The dare-devil professional parachuting teddies, sponsored by local companies, jump one-by-one from a Cambridge Aero Club plane into the skies over Pidley village; each one focused on landing the nearest to the winning pot of honey.
2016 Pidley Teddy Bear Freefall Competition raises more than £4,000 despite the weather
We are pleased to announce that this year’s jump, despite the rain, raised over £4,000. We are very grateful to all our sponsors, supporters and the public who braved the conditions to join us in the barn at Rookery Farm. Despite the weather everyone had a great time, with new games, BBQ, cakes, sweets and more, let alone the indoor Teddy Bear jump.
Thanks to outgoing committee members
We would like to thank Jim & Hilary for their support as Chairman and Secretary over the last few years. This opens up the committee for new members, so if you feel you could help with a few hours a month then please contact chairman@pidleymountainrescue.org.uk
Pidley Fun Day
We had a great time on Sunday 12th June at the Pidley Fun Day enjoying the Queen’s birthday celebrations at the Village Park. The event raised funds for both the Charity and the Social Club which is a key resource for the villagers. Pidley Ted joined the fun and can be seen here on a fantastic vintage tractor which was one of many beautiful, vintage vehicles on display as part of the event.
We have also supported two children from within the Huntingdonshire area, Hugo Reece and Shay Bell, who have received specialist mobility equipment to improve their quality of life. Thank you to everyone who continues to support the Charity as a member, sponsor of an event, trustee or someone who joins us at one of our fundraising events. Without your support and generosity we would not be able to help in the way that we do.
We are looking forward to our Annual International Teddy Bear Freefall Competition on 10th September, 10am to 2pm, which is kindly hosted by the German family of Rookery Farm, Pidley. Make a note in the diary and do get in touch if you would like to become more involved in the Charity, if you would like to sponsor one of our brave teddy bears or simply find out more about what we do.
Thank you again, Katie (Chair, Pidley Mounta
in Rescue Team)
It is with great pleasure that the Charity can announce that we are still going!
We would like to welcome Katie Renwick and Annie Hairsine to the charity. They answered our call for help on the Committee and have taken 2 of the key positions - Katie as Chairman and Annie as Applications Officer. So (for now!) there is now an all female Committee of Trustees! Charlie Lowe will continue in the role of Publicity, Su McLean-Tooke as Treasurer and Hilary Wright as Secretary.
We would like to thank those Trustees who have been on the Committee for many years who unfortunately have stepped down this year due to other commitments, their support and guidance will be greatly missed. So in no particular order we would like to thank John Blundell (Applications Officer), Martin Phillips (Web Master), Jim Nelson (immediate past Chairman), Francis Mizuro, (Vice Chair), Mark Smith (Secretary), and Trevor Peacock (past Chairman, Vice Chair, Compère at the Jump and many more!)
We are however still in need of more Trustees and Committee Members so if you can spare a couple of hours, one evening a month please do get in touch, we would love to hear from you!
Email: Pidley.Ted@gmail.com
Upcoming Events:
Sunday 12th June we will be at the Pidley Fun Day, celebrating the Queen’s 90th Birthday and Pidley-cum-Fenton Village with many stalls and attractions, so why not pop along between 12-3pm and say Hello!
A BIG thank you to Joly Black
Joly organised a tuck shop for Year 8 at Bedford Modern School to raise funds for PMRT. We received £165.12 which was fantastic and will be put to very good use supporting disabled and disadvantaged people across Huntingdonshire.
Gil's non-stop fundraiser at the Windmill
Gil Boyd played a varied popular music set - on a 4 hour non stop fundraiser to a packed out audience at the Windmill Restuarant on behalf of Pidley Mountain Rescue Team on Valentines Night, raising £143.00.
A very supportive audience this year Valentines this year, as alway.
A big thank you goes to Gil from the Team.
Thanks also go to Justine and Roger at the Windmill for hosting the event
2015 Summer Draw Winners Announced
THANK YOU to all who bought tickets for the summer raffle, which raised a total of £247.00 . Winners are listed below:
First Prize: Signed copy of Alan Tichmarsh's book - Briar Wilson (Somersham) pictured left
Second Prize: Picnic Set - Natalie Hope (Pidley)
Third Prize: £50 Cranbrook Plants voucher - Emma Armstrong (Pidley)
First Prize: Signed copy of Alan Tichmarsh's book - Briar Wilson (Somersham) pictured left
Second Prize: Picnic Set - Natalie Hope (Pidley)
Third Prize: £50 Cranbrook Plants voucher - Emma Armstrong (Pidley)
2014
Teddy Jump
raises over £4500!
THANK YOU to all who came to our 14th Annual International Teddy Bear Freefall Competition on 6 September, and a big thank you to our Sponsors whose generosity helped make the day such a great success.
The weather started misty and cloudy, but improved during the morning to provide ideal jumping conditions for the bears. We had some of the closest landings for many years- the winner being the third teddy to jump, sponsored by Ray’s Garage of Pidley, landing only 20 meters from the honey pot.
We had our largest turn-out ever with over 500 people attending – and all of you helped to raise over £4,500.
The day was opened by the St Ives Deputy Mayor, Ian Jackson, and the festivities began. The bouncy castle, lucky dip and other games went down well, as did the hot dogs and bacon butties. Somersham Town Brass Band provided a wonderful musical accompaniment to the morning, and a special appearances was made by Pidley Ted, much to the enjoyment of all the children. Other special visitors included Clr Steve Criswell from Somersham, and Pidley Parish Council Chairman Mike Newman and his wife. Ian Jackson brought Deputy Mayor bear to help him open the day, and he later handed out the prizes. Clr Steve Criswell judged the Best Dressed Teddy Competition.
At 11.30, slightly later than planned due to fog in Cambridge, the teddies’ plane, piloted by Mike Skalkes and provided by Cambridge Aero Club, arrived to cheers and waves from the excited crowd. The teddies all jumped very well, with only two hiccups. The first was when Junior, Teddy number 4, refused to jump. On his second attempt he had to be encouraged by an extra special shout of “honey” from the crowd and finally leapt from the plane when one of the ATC volunteers held up the honey pot. The second close scrape was when the 7th bear's parachute was late opening, but he landed safely in the end.
Our thanks go to the Somersham Brownies and Rainbows who did a sterling job recovering all the bears from the field, and to the ATC group from RAF Wyton who measured the distances of the bears and helped with car parking and refreshments.
Once the winners had been established, it was time for Ian Jackson to present the prizes. The Rose & Crown in Somersham donated the prize for the winning bear, and Lakeside Golf Centre and others provided prizes for the second and third placed bears. The Wheelbarrow of Booze raffle was a success, and the best-dressed teddy competition was won by Grace who was presented with a 5-foot teddy donated by TMK Tiles of Pidley.
All-in-all it was a successful, fun-filled morning that was very well supported by the local community. The charity would like to thank all the sponsors, PP2 Pumps, Ray’s garage, Phebys, Thames Labs, Lawrence Smith Joinery, All Under Cover Marquees, MMUK, Ivo Business Solutions, Fosters Horticulture and Michael Upchurch. There was also valuable support from many others, who provided financial support, food and drink, the wheelbarrow, tables and chairs and the marquees. A special thanks goes, as always, to Rookery Farm and the Cambridge Aero Club, for without the landing zone and the plane the Competition wouldn't be able to take place.
Lastly, I would like to thank all the helpers and committee members for their efforts on the day, especially Trevor Peacock, our compere, the Brownies and the ATC Squadron.
The main aim of the day was to raise funds for the charity, so, thanks to the generosity of the sponsors, members and visitors, we can continue to help those people who need support in their search for specialist mobility equipment.
See you next year,
Jim Nelson
Chair, Pidley Mountain Rescue Society
The parachuting Teddy Bears are ready for annual charity jump
Ten teddy bears are in the final tough stages of training for the annual Pidley International Teddy Bear Freefall Competition, raising much-needed funds for local charity Pidley Mountain Rescue Team.
The charity jump starts at 10am on Saturday 6th September at Rookery Farm Fisheries in Pidley, near Huntingdon and is a great day out for all the family; over 500 supporters attending last year’s event with free-entry and parking. The dare-devil professional parachuting teddies, sponsored by local companies, jump one-by-one from a Cambridge Aero Club plane into the skies over Pidley village; each one focused on landing the nearest to the winning pot of honey.
“Our charity raises around £15,000 each year towards much-needed specialised equipment for adults and children in Huntingdonshire coping with disability or mobility issues,” explains Pidley Mountain Rescue Team’s chairman Trevor Peacock. "The annual Teddy Bear Freefall Competition is key to our fund-raising and we’re hoping to top last year’s record-breaking £3,400 raised through sponsorship of each Teddy Bear parachutist as well as raffles, donations, competitions and food sales at the event."
Trevor reminds everyone that the parachuting teddy bears need lots of encouragement from the crowd. “The event has plenty of other competitions and activities going on while we wait for the Teddy Bears to jump. Please bring your own well-loved teddy bears as supporters and dressed up in a costume to take part in the ‘Best Dressed Teddy Bear’ competition. Gulliver, our giant straw teddy-bear, returns to help our mascot Pidley Ted greet visitors as they arrive and Bomb Disposal Teddy Bear needs plenty of help in defusing a package using our giant wire buzzer game,” he says.
The Somersham 1st Brownie Pack will be providing stretcher-bearer services and first-aid to the teddies and thanks also go to Cambridge Aero Club and host farmer Kelvin German at Rookery Farm for their contribution and help on the day.
“The funds raised at the Freefall Competition are immediately used to help those most in need in our local community,” explains the charity's Applications Officer John Blundell.
“Our rescues include specialist devices for children with communication difficulties, trikes and off-roader buggies for kids with mobility problems, mobility scooters and chair-lifts that provide much-needed independence for the older generation, and various sensory devices for children with special needs and autism, including lighting systems and ball blankets.”
Pidley Mountain Rescue Team's most recent rescue is 9-year old Hannah Lloyd from Perry who has cerebral palsy with limited mobility and learning difficulties. Hannah has recently been given a new specialist Theraplay bike and she loves it.
"This is the second bike that the charity has given Hannah," says her mum Ros. "Their generosity in providing her first trike three years ago prompted me to volunteer for the charity's committee. It also helped Hannah enormously in developing her leg and hip strength as well as giving her a sense of independence that she hadn't experienced before; she began to walk unaided for the first time six months later when she was 6½ years old."
The old three-wheeled trike will be returned to Pidley Mountain Rescue Team and passed onto another child with similar specialist needs. The new bike has four wheels, rather than three, giving Hannah the extra stability she needs while reducing the risk of toppling over. "Unfortunately with no sense of danger she has a tendency to change direction at speed without understanding what she is doing, and the old trike could tip over if the ground wasn't completely level. The new bike also gives her plenty of growing space and the opportunity for plenty of exercise," Ros explains.
Pidley International Teddy Bear Freefall Competition
10am-12pm, Saturday 6th September, 2014
Rookery Farm, Pidley, near Huntingdon
Drop in Event a success!
The Drop in Event was designed to explain what and how the Pidley Mountain Rescue Team do for the community, raise awareness of the charity and link up with other people who would like to help.
The Mayor of Huntingdon, Bill Hensley gave attende the Pidley Mountain Rescue Team 1st 'Drop-In' Event last Saturday, seen here with Pidley Ted and Trevor Peacock.
The Event included games, gingerbread men, cakes, flags, displays, strawberry baskets, plants, a speech and presentations and Teddy Bears
Local dignitaries came and found out what we can do,
We gained 2 jump sponsors, 2 trustees and several members. Pidley Ted lost several kg´s and needed a few pints of Theakstons to recover.
It was a good afternoon for a ne event and will go on the events calendar to raise our profile.
A thank you to everyone whi came along, for your support!
Watch out Buckden!
Six-year old Ollie Oldham has a new bike and will be out and about with his Dad John, Mum Jo, and brother Harry! Pidley Mountain Rescue Team has bought a £570 Mission Piggy Back tag-along trike for Ollie who has Rothmund-Thompson syndrome. The tag-along bike allows the whole family, who are all very keen cyclists, to get out as a family while keeping the very active Ollie safe as he has additional learning and sensory difficulties with limited danger awareness.
An extra shout-out for PMRT supporter Mum Joanne Oldham who is cycling from London to Paris in July to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital. Ollie has spent a great deal of time at GOSH including treatment and care for juvenile leukemia. If you would like to support Jo please go to
www.justgiving.com/jooldham-jamesCopeman-bryant
Gala Night raises £5,000
The 1st Gala Night held at the Bridge Hotel, Huntingdon was a huge success raising a total of £5,000.
Thank-you to everyone who joined us at our Gala Dinner last night at The Old Bridge in Huntingdon. We raised a fantastic £5,000 with the dinner and charity auction - thank-you to all those who bid for the items and congratulations to those who won - pictured is our charity auctioneer from Maxey Grounds in full flow.
Runners raise £2,500
Team Pidley post-race - nearly £2500 raised for the Pidley Mountain Rescue Team. Congratulations everyone and thank-you
Freefall Teddy Bears raises £3,300
Ten parachuting teddy-bears helped to raise over £3,300 for Pidley Mountain Rescue Team.
The annual Pidley International Teddy-Bear Freefall Competition again featured the usual team of dare-devil professional parachuting teddies, sponsored by local companies, jumping from a Cambridge Aero Club plane into the skies over the Huntingdonshire fens, cheered on by nearly 450 supporters.
Some practice is needed by the teddy-bears with one landing on the First Aid tent and another on the bouncy castle. Two teddies ended up in a neighbouring field with another landing in a ditch. Honours went to the Teddy Number 6, sponsored by The Boothman Family, who landed the nearest to the pot of honey.
“I think the teddy-bears spent too much time this summer watching the Olympics rather than getting in shape for the jump-day. They need some tips from Her Majesty The Queen and James Bond,” said Pidley Mountain Rescue Team’s chairman Trevor Peacock.
The funds raised by sponsorship, raffles, auctions, competitions, food sales and kind donations on the day will be used to help adults and children in Huntingdonshire coping with disability or mobility issues by providing specialised equipment.
“Our thanks
for to the brilliant Somersham 2nd Brownie Pack for providing vital stretcher-bearer services and first-aid to the teddies as well as Cambridge Aero Club, host farmer Kelvin German at Rookery Farm, and the 2331 Squadron St Ives Air Training Corp who worked incredibly hard, alongside our committee and volunteers, to ensure the event ran smoothly on the day. We also thank the Huntingdonshire Fire Brigade who came along with two fire engines and AAA Inflatables who provided the bouncy castle at very short notice,” said Trevor.
The ten teddy bears were sponsored by:
The Mad Cat Inn in Pidley and The Royal Oak in Warboys, Phebys, Pranduke Kennels, Michael Upchurch & Sons, Pidley Paintball, The Boothman Family, Smart Control Solutions, Thames Laboratories, and Ivo Business Solutions with Teddy Bear No 10 parachuting in memory of John Armstrong.
It’s no picnic for the parachuting
Teddy Bears in training for annual charity jump
Pidley International Teddy Bear Freefall Competition
10am, Saturday 1st September, 2012
Rookery Farm Fisheries, Pidley, near Huntingdon
Ten teddy bears are taking inspiration from the Olympic Team GB competitors as they approach the final tough stages of training for the annual Pidley International Teddy Bear Freefall Competition.
The charity jump takes place at 10am on Saturday 1st September at Rookery Farm Fisheries in Pidley, near Huntingdon and is a great day out for all the family; over 500 supporters attending last year’s event.
The dare-devil professional parachuting teddies, sponsored by local companies, will be jumping from a Cambridge Aero Club plane into the skies over Pidley village; each one focused on landing the nearest to the winning pot of honey.
“We’re hoping to top last year’s record-breaking £3,200 raised by our daredevil teddy-bears, alongside the raffles, donations, competitions and food sales at the event,” says Pidley Mountain Rescue Team’s chairman Trevor Peacock. The charity provides specialised equipment for adults and children in Huntingdonshire coping with disability or mobility issues, raising up to £15,000 each year.
“The Competition provides much-needed funds for the Team and is immediately used to help those most in need in our community,” explains John Blundell, who has recently taken on the post of Applications Officer at the charity.
“It’s been a busy year for us with 15 rescues, including specialist devices for children with communication difficulties, trikes and off-roader buggies for kids with mobility problems, our usual mobility scooters and chair-lifts that provide much-needed independence for the older generation, and various sensory devices for children with special needs and autism, including lighting systems and ball blankets.”
Trevor reminds everyone that the parachuting teddy bears need plenty of encouragement from the crowd. “Please come along bringing your own well-loved teddy bears as supporters and to take part in the ‘Best Dressed Teddy Bear’ competition. Gulliver, our giant straw teddy-bear, returns to greet visitors as they arrive and Bomb Disposal Teddy Bear is returning, and needs plenty of help in defusing a package using our giant wire buzzer game,” he says.
The Somersham 1st Brownie Pack will again be providing stretcher-bearer services and first-aid to the teddies and thanks also go to Cambridge Aero Club, host farmer Kelvin German at Rookery Farm, and the 2331 Squadron St Ives Air Training Corp who will be helping the event run smoothly on the day.
Somersham Carnival 2012
We were at Smersham Carnival on the 23rd June, supported by the Pidley Male Voice Choir who sang for the crowds.
Pidley Ted was very popular, making lots of friends.
Race Night
The Race night at Pidley Village hall in aid of the Pidley Mountain Rescue Team was a great success with everybody having a wonderful time whilst raising £145.00. Out thanks to the organisers George, Roy and Jacky for their hard work and to John our compare for the evening. Congratulations to all the winners especially our best jockey for the night CJ
.
Mad Cat music day
Thank you to the Mad Cat Inn in Pidley for organising a charity music day on Saturday 21st April. The photo shows the entire organising crew (to many to name) so our thanks to them all and all who attended to make the day such a success.
Waitrose Huntingdon donates £510
In January Waitrose selected Pidley Mountain Rescue Team as one of their worthy causes for their Community Matters scheme. Waitrose customers had to select their prefered cause by voting with counters, which when counted gave us £510 from the £1000 donated to the three causes for the month.
Thank you to Waitrose and all the customers who voted for Pidley Mountain Rescue Team.
Photo caption: PMRT's chairman Trevor Peacock, Annie Gault, Lawrence Giddings, Francis Mizuro and Martin Phillips
received the cheque for £510 from Waitrose Staff.
Lakeside Lodge Golf donates £1,200
Lakeside Golf Club in Pidley has raised over £1,200 for Pidley Mountain Rescue Team. Club Captain and Lady Captain Dave and Elaine Ottley handed over a cheque of £1137.26 in a presentation evening at the Club before Christmas, and has since raised a further £71.60 making the final donation figure a fantastic £1,206.86. Pidley Mountain Rescue Team was the Golf Club's featured charity in 2011.
Thank-you to all the members, office-holders and staff at Lakeside Golf Club for their generosity.
Photo caption: PMRT's Francis Mizuro and chairman Trevor Peacock receive Lakeside Golf Club's donation from Club Captain and Lady Captain Dave and Elaine Ottley.
Te
ddy Bear parachute jump
raises £3,200
A team of parachuting teddy-bears has raised £3,200 for local charity Pidley Mountain Rescue Team.
The annual Pidley International Teddy-Bear Freefall Competition featured ten dare-devil professional parachuting teddies, sponsored by local companies, jumping from a plane into the skies over the Huntingdonshire fens.
Each teddy was focused on winning the pot of honey and cheered on by 450 supporters. Honours went to the final jump of the day with Teddy Number 10, sponsored by The Powell Family, landing nearest to the prize.
“We had a fantastic day and the funds raised by sponsorship, raffles, competitions, food sales and kind donations from our supporters will be used to help adults and children in Huntingdonshire coping with disability or mobility issues by providing specialised equipment,” said Pidley Mountain Rescue Team’s chairman Trevor Peacock.
Last year the charity 'rescued' 15 people living in the Huntingdonshire area, from a 4-year old’s first trike to encourage movement and independence through to a mobility scooter for a 90-year old. As well as the Freefall Competition the charity raises money through donations from organisations, companies and individuals, membership and other community events.
Click below to view the video of the day:
“Our thanks go to the brilliant Somersham 2nd Brownie Pack for providing vital stretcher-bearer services and first-aid to the teddies as well as Cambridge Aero Club, host farmer Kelvin German at Rookery Farm, and the 2331 Squadron St Ives Air Training Corp who worked incredibly hard, alongside our committee and volunteers, to ensure the event ran smoothly on the day,” said Trevor.
If anyone would like to contribute to the work of Pidley Mountain Rescue Team the charity has a new text donation line. Please text ‘PMRT44£10’ to 70070 to give £10, or any other full pound amount up to £10.
The Pidley Village Hall and Social Club welcomed the return of the Climbing Boy back on the bell tower thanks to George and Brian from Pidley Mountain Rescue Team. The original Climbing Boy blew off the bell tower a couple of years ago after many years of guarding the Club from its roof.
Cheque presentation at the Mad Cat
The Masons handed a cheque for £1750.00 raised over the twelve months when Mike Nixon was Chair of the St Ives Lodge of the Masons.
The Masons raised the money through raffles, social events etc but mainly from within their own members.
Mike Nixon chose the PMRT to benefit from his time as Chairman because of the work we do within our local community.
The annual Pidley International Teddy-Bear Freefall Competition again featured the usual team of dare-devil professional parachuting teddies, sponsored by local companies, jumping from a Cambridge Aero Club plane into the skies over the Huntingdonshire fens, cheered on by nearly 450 supporters.
“I think the teddy-bears spent too much time this summer watching the Olympics rather than getting in shape for the jump-day. They need some tips from Her Majesty The Queen and James Bond,” said Pidley Mountain Rescue Team’s chairman Trevor Peacock.
Ten teddy bears are taking inspiration from the Olympic Team GB competitors as they approach the final tough stages of training for the annual Pidley International Teddy Bear Freefall Competition.
“Our thanks go to the brilliant Somersham 2nd Brownie Pack for providing vital stretcher-bearer services and first-aid to the teddies as well as Cambridge Aero Club, host farmer Kelvin German at Rookery Farm, and the 2331 Squadron St Ives Air Training Corp who worked incredibly hard, alongside our committee and volunteers, to ensure the event ran smoothly on the day,” said Trevor. 
