THE mighty efforts of a 20-strong team of challengers was greeted with applause in Bolton this afternoon.
Staff from Bolton NHS Foundation and members of the armed forces pulled together for a half ton challenge to celebrate Armed Forces Day.
The team hauled a heavy Army Land Rover from the Royal Bolton Hospital to Victoria Square.
Arriving at 2pm they were greeted with applause from the crowds and the news that they completed the journey 20 minutes faster than expected.
Many of the NHS staff are former members of the armed forces.
The pull was arranged by Mike Gallagher, resuscitation officer at the Trust and personnel from 207 Field Hospital (Manchester), and Dave Carter, a charge nurse at Bolton hospital’s Accident and Emergency department.
Mike, was a sergeant in the Royal Artillery reservists and a volunteer supporting operations in Afghanistan in 2011, while dad-of-one Dave, aged 32, is an ex-gunner from the Royal Artillery.
Dave said: “Mike and I wanted to raise awareness of the trust as an organisation which supports those from the armed forces.
“Every one of the staff involved today has served or supports the forces, we’ve got a good team together and got a lot of support.
“A lot of us are not as quick as we used to be but we wanted it to be an enjoyable and do it in decent time, so we are really pleased with how it went.
“Lots of passers-by were cheering us on and were clapping and honking car horns, it was a really good day.”
A relay of around 20 people set off from the hospital at 1pm.
Two ropes were used to pull the vehicle along the roads to the town centre, with team members taking turns at hauling it along the two and half mile journey.
Senior staff nurse Karen Kirkman from Westhoughton was one of the team members.
The 46-year-old is a former nurse with the Queen Alexandra Nursing Corps.
She said: “It was very tough, I’m not going to lie, but I had no worries about doing it because we had such a great team.
“Everyone had great moral and showed lots of support, so of course we made it in good time!”
It is estimated that around 50 members of staff at the Trust are current or former reservists.
Hi Viz Workwear of Leigh and North West 4x4 Response supported the challenge by providing safety jackets and escort vehicles for the challenge.
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