Four girls from Pidley are taking part in their first freefall parachute jump to raise funds for Pidley Mountain Rescue Team – following the tracks, and sky-trails, of ten teddy-bears.

Sam Barton, Jo Brett, Hollie Hennings and Gemma Pollock have formed the Pidley Freefall Parachute Team and will be skydiving at the North London Parachute Centre – located in Chatteris – on Tuesday 14th September.

“It will be an unforgettable experience; launched out of a small plane up to 13,000 feet high in a tandem skydive with an instructor who controls the freefall part of our dive and opens our parachute at 5,000 feet - that’s 8,000 feet freefalling,” exclaims Jo Brett. “It’s quite a scary thought, but we hope to raise plenty of funds for the Mountain Rescue Team, so it’ll be worth it.”

Pidley Mountain Rescue Team is a local charity that provides specialised equipment for adults and children in Huntingdonshire coping with disability or mobility issues. Pidley’s chairman Trevor Peacock is delighted that Sam, Jo, Hollie and Gemma have volunteered to help the charity in such an exciting and adventurous way.

“The girls’ charity jump fits perfectly with our annual Pidley International Teddy Bear Freefall Competition when ten dare-devil professional parachuting teddies, sponsored by local companies, will jump from a Cambridge Aero Club plane into the skies over Pidley. Each teddy will be focused on landing the nearest to the winning mark.”

This year’s Teddy Bear Freefall Competition will be taking place the week before the girls’ jump, on Saturday 4th September from 10am at Rookery Farm Fisheries in Pidley.

“It’s a great day out for all the family with lots of different events and competitions taking place; we hope that there will be plenty of well-loved teddy-bears entering our ‘Best Dressed Teddy Bear’ competition and we’re in the process of designing and building a giant straw teddy-bear to greet visitors as they arrive,” says Trevor.

If you would like to support Sam, Jo, Hollie and Gemma please drop into the Mad Cat Pub in Pidley and make a donation, or meet the girls at the Pidley International Teddy Bear Freefall Competition on 4th September at 10am.

Local Huntingdonshire charity Pidley Mountain Rescue Team is celebrating its 150th rescue since its re-launch in 1999.

The charity provides specialised equipment to improve the quality of life and independence of children and adults living in Huntingdonshire who are coping with disabilities or mobility issues. The 150th rescue was four-year old Holly Greenhow from Hemingford Grey who is now the proud owner of brand-new Theraplay Imp tricycle.

Fiona Greenhow, Holly’s Mum, says “Holly has athetoid cerebral palsy which means her movement and mobility is restricted. The trike will help with her physiotherapy building up leg strength and co-ordination and stimulating her development, and encourage her independence outside, joining her older brother Oliver cycling around the garden and in the future perhaps a bit further afield. She’s absolutely delighted with it.”

Pidley Mountain Rescue Team was able to help Holly because of a generous donation of £3,350 by St Ives-based company EcoLab. The funds have also let the charity help many others in the community.

Pidley’s chairman Trevor Peacock says that the charity has its busiest year to date. “We’re grateful for any donations from organisations and companies across Huntingdonshire that will enable us to carry on helping people like Holly.

“Our next big fund-raising opportunity is the Pidley International Teddy-Bear FreeFall Championships on 4th September at Pidley’s Rookery Farm. It will be a fun-filled morning with loads of family entertainment including the world-famous teddy bear freefall competition from the skies overhead thanks to Cambridge Aero Club. Please bring your own teddy bears as supporters and to take part in the Best Dressed Teddy Bear competition,” says Mr Peacock.

Local Huntingdonshire charity Pidley Mountain Rescue Team has redesigned its logo and strapline as part of a new campaign to improve local awareness of the organisation and raise more funds.

The charity provides specialised equipment to improve the quality of life and independence of children and adults living in Huntingdonshire who are coping with disabilities or mobility issues.

“The new logo and strapline ‘Aiding mobility and independence’ aims to bring Pidley’s brand up-to-date,” says chairman Trevor Peacock.

“The majority of our work is with the older generation, but we would like to support and help more young adults and children. The rebrand is part of a new programme targeting parents of disabled children and teenagers, and health and disability-support professionals and organisations, so they know about us and how we can help them.”

“We’ve also embraced social networking and created a Facebook page for the Pidley Mountain Rescue Team. We felt that it would be an easy way for members, supporters and potential rescuees to keep up-to-date with the charity’s activities. Alongside our website the Facebook page is a great way to introduce your friends and family to the work that the charity does as well as creating more opportunities for fund-raising.”

The logo has been created by St Ives-based design consultant Martin Phillips, of Martin Phillips Associates, who generously contributed his time free of charge.
 
Martin thought it was important to keep the history of the charity and the original humour behind the name by using the two mountains in his design.

The charity’s name was created when a local villager’s car broke down on the slope leading to the village, which at its highest is only 88 ft above sea level. His charitable rescuers pushed the car up the ‘mountain’ home.

“The work of the charity in enabling and improving independence is represented by the free-flowing sweep of the mountains. The two circles evolved from the traditional wheelchair disability sign. They represent how the charity provides specialised equipment for adults and children whilst not limiting it to traditional mobility equipment such as a wheelchair,” explains Martin.

Huntingdon running club BRJ Road Runners has presented local charity Pidley Mountain Rescue Team with a £2,400 fund-raising cheque.

The funds were raised by Club runners taking part in the Great North Run, Great Eastern Run, BRJ Duathlon, and Grafham Invitation Run as well as individual donations, and club events. BRJ Road Runners handed over the cheque to Pidley Mountain Rescue Team’s Trevor Peacock and Paul Treadwell at a presentation evening generously hosted by the Axe and Compass pub in Hemingford Abbots.

“BRJ’s generous donation will have a fantastic impact on our work in providing local disabled children and adults with much-needed specialised equipment to encourage their independence and mobility. Thank-you to all those club runners for their incredible efforts throughout the year,” says Pidley Mountain Rescue Team’s chairman Trevor Peacock.

“We chose to support Pidley Mountain Rescue Team in 2009 because of their great work within the local community,” says BRJ’s fund-raising coordinator Maureen Wickson. “2009 was one of our best fundraising years with our members raising a staggering total of £18,000 plus for local and national charities by taking part in running events across the UK including the London and Edinburgh marathons.”