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MP joins bid to save beer walk
Date published: 07 December 2011
CRISIS talks are being staged in a bid to reinstate the scrapped Saddleworth beer walk.
Round Table organisers have met Debbie Abrahams, Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, to discuss whether the popular event has a future.
The event, due to take place next June, was controversially axed last month when spiralling marshalling costs and an increasing number of disorder cases prompted a decision that dismayed thousands of genuine fundraisers
Dave MacDougall, Round Table’s beer walk chairman, said: “The talks with our MP were really positive. The committee is in the process of producing a ‘business plan’ to present to the safety advisory committee and the police, seeking help and advice on keeping the walk alive.
“We have already received offers of help from the local and wider community and would ask anyone who believes they can give us tangible support to talk to us.”
The walk raised £40,000 for charity this year, but a police officer was injured and organisers estimated up to 4,000 un-subscribed walkers tagged along, with some making personal gain from the kindness of charity givers.
Debbie Abrahams is now determined to help the committee come up with a solution.
She said: “Dave and the Round Table team are pulling out all the stops to come up with viable alternatives to help save a really important event which is, essentially, designed to raise money for charity.
“Clearly the main sticking point at the moment is the cost of policing, due to the influx of unruly participants who spoil the atmosphere. But all parties are willing to keep talking to see if it’s possible to create an event which preserves the great charity work of the Round Table.”
Organisers are keen to discourage any unofficial beer walks being staged should the official event not be reinstated.
Mr MacDougall stressed: “We do no want any unofficial beer walks taking place. This would be totally out of order and not in line with Round Table’s ethos over fundraising.”
Comments
Come on it’s over. There are too many bad points.
Litter still there after 4 years on some parts of the rout. (let me know if you want to clean it up I can give you details)
Unofficial entrees fighting and making the walk impossible for the police because there no control over numbers that turn up. All this press will make it worse if you do it next year.
People stealing the cash to pay for drinks.carp the full thing an do something ells you talk of Round Table ethos your running a riot
Strange that in one breath it's scrapped and the next a business plan is being put together. If the policing costs are as prohibitive as claimed, it wouldn't be feasible to run the event.
Thats the end of the beer walk then.
Pmilner, if some of the points/complaints raised can be addressed/resolved, then surely the Saddleworth beer walk can live to see another (hopefully less rowdy) day.
In other words (reading between the lines) the council and police are STILL going to have to pay out to police and clean up after the unofficial walk that's planned for the same day.... and they would sooner have SOME organisation rather than none at all! the round table CANNOT stop "unofficial" walkers from taking part, mainly due to the fact we live in a free country and walking along a public highway is perfectly legal! i for one will be walking (if i can) weather it is "official" or not!
Have Your Say
It really would be such a shame to see this much loved event consigned to history. One sincerely hopes that the towel isn't thrown in without a fight.
By shaun mcgrath @ 07/12/2011 16:14:51