PONTEFRACT IN 1980
14th February 1980
MINER CRAWLS FOR EIGHT MILES TO HELP SCHOOL
An eight mile crawl on hands and knees by a linesman at the Prince of
Wales Colliery, Pontefract, will hopefully have raised an estimated £500
for Went Vale School, Carleton, Pontefract.
Alan Wilkinson began his sponsored crawl at 2am on Sunday, outside
the Queens Hotel, Leeds. By 10am he had travelled eight miles on the
road back to Pontefract - but then he had to give up. Last September, a
bed push by Yorkshire miners, involving Radio One D.J. Simon Bates, was
organised to raise money to buy Variety Club of Great Britain Sunshine
coaches, including one for Went Vale School.
When the school realised, however, that there was no garage for the
bus, the miners came up with another money-raising idea - the sponsored
crawl. Knee pads and other equipment were provided for Alan and a back
up team followed him through the journey. G.T. Smith's of Pontefract
provided soup and rolls. It is hoped that £500 will be collected from
sponsors and possibly more, as some said although Alan did not complete
the 17 miles they would pay the full amount.
A disco at Kiko's nightclub, Pontefract, in March, with guest D.J. Peter
Powell and the group 'Big Business' is hoped to help raise the
remainder needed to buy the garage. The new bus will be used to take the
children of the school on outings and visits.
1980 INDEX
Years
in Focus is researched by Maurice Haigh and reproduced with the kind
permission of the Pontefract and Castleford Express.
