Sandgreen and Meeting 3

How young we all were, back in the day, eh? And the assembled riders raising sponsorship money for Youth Project funds were even younger! Thanks to Davey Humes for the photographs from the past.

Now it’s 100 miles from the Sandgreen Caravan Park to Allendale, and I wonder if the trek might not have been over two days, with the start on Sunday morning the 26th October, 2003 and another day’s ride on the Monday? I’d have thought that the coming week might well have been half-term. Hoping someone will be able to comment on the duration of this mini-epic cycling adventure.

Whatever the timing, there’s no doubt that it was a great time, and the funds raised would make a significant contribution to the development of the Youth Project rooms underneath Allendale Village Hall. I remember hearing tales of how the inner room was houked out of the bank by the young people themselves, after the New Hall extension went up. The intervening years have seen significant development and re-development of those rooms, of course, but at the time of the Sandgreen –>Allendale adventure, the new extension would have been just over a decade old.

Although the cycle trek was done before the Allendale Lions Club received its formal charter, this event was probably the very first community service in which the emerging club participated. It’s lovely to think that continuity of community was an intrinsic concern of the club from its outset.

By the end of the half-term week, November would have been rolling around and it was time once again for a business meeting on the first Monday. As always, we were looking ahead to the next event!

In the main, that would be the Charter Night, scheduled firmly now for Friday the 20th of February, 2004, pending confirmation of availability of the hall. But the proposed Christmas tree on the green and the carol singing were still in discussion. There were other social activities that different Lions Club members were independently organising, of course:

• Sue Mills was hoping tickets for the Rock Stars and Rock Chicks night at the end of the month would be snapped up
• Lynda McGregor hoped lots of intrepid walkers would be able to join the Allenheads –> Hexham walk on Sunday in aid of SCOPE
• Maggie Shearer and Fergus Sandison were organising a pub crawl around six (remember when there were six!) local pubs for the 1st of December, which would take the place of a business meeting
• Remember remember . . . the last West Tynedale Round Table bonfire would burn in two days time
• The last WTRT Christmas dinner was scheduled for the 15th of December, to which men were invited.

Just when we may have thought that there would be no report on the Sandgreen –> Allendale, sponsored cycle ride, Sue Mills offered an update: some £3500 had been raised for the Youth Project, and the commitment of the young riders was particularly commended. She thanked those who had been able to help on the event.

And finally, the toast to LCI was raised by Trevor. Next meeting in a fortnight!