When duty crawls...

The 2011 Saddleworth Beer Walk “Crawl of Duty — Black Hops” is launched at the sponsoring pub, the White Lion in Delph. From left, landlady Michelle Fenton, and organisers from Saddleworth Round Table, Mike Procter and chairman Mike Coulter, Caitlin Broadbent, David Wood, Dave McDougall and Peter Holt

BEER-WALKERS are being called on to answer their “Crawl of Duty” as organisers unveil this year’s war soldier theme for the Saddleworth event.

Round Table organisers cheered as they launched the 2011 appeal, cheekily dubbed “Crawl of Duty — Black Hops”.

They’ve taken inspiration from the shoot ‘em up video game Call of Duty — Black Ops based during the Cold War, in the hope that armies of fundraisers will take to village streets on June 18.

Posters will soon adorn the villages, showing a grizzly war soldier clutching two cans of lager.

Committee member Dave MacDougall said: “It was a choice between that or “Ava-jar” as a take on the film ‘Avatar’.

“It’s such a fun event and it just keeps growing and growing.

“We’ve already had people saying they are coming along in Army wear and people are already registering online — the buzz is starting.” For the first time ever the event has its own Facebook page as well as a dedicated website — which reaped 80 per cent of the 2,400 entries last year.

Plans are already under way for the legendary event, set across 11.2 miles and taking in 10 pubs across Delph, Diggle, Dobcross Greenfield and Uppermill.

The White Lion pub in Delph has pledged its support as a headline sponsor to provide financial backing.

Dave, (35), who has helped the Saddleworth Round Table organise the event for the past nine years, said: “Within 20 minutes of setting up the Facebook group we had over 50 people join.

“It’s a great fun day for everybody.”

Money raised from the celebration will go towards the Francis House Children’s Hospice and the Round Table Children’s Wish charity.

The 38th annual walk will start at Churchill playing fields at 1pm, and walkers can now register for tickets costing £20 (including drinks) online at www.beerwalk.co.uk