Friday Folk

A SUPERFIT mum has completed a gruelling 255-mile cycle trip in the Middle East to raise more than £2,000 for charity.

Maureen Nixon, of Ontario Close, Blackburn, had sticks and stones thrown at her in one part of northern Jordan, but still said the whole experience was exhilarating.

Mrs Nixon embarked on her quest when she saw an advertisement placed by the SCOPE charity in a national newspaper asking for fund-raisers.

Under the scheme, she had to raise a certain amount of money before qualifying to go abroad and complete her effort in style.

She did this by holding car boot sales, raffles, discos, a sponsored walk in and around Chatburn and an Easter egg raffle.

Once in the Middle East, her cycling route spanned the mountainous terrain and politically unstable territories of Israel and Jordan between the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea and the Red Sea before ending in Eilat.

She said: "The only time I really had any problems was with the youths throwing things at me in one part of northern Jordan. "Otherwise the hills were the only thing that made life hard. I thought that part of the world would be quite flat but I couldn't have been more wrong.

"There was one day when I cycled 70 miles and another when I managed 75 and that was very hard work.

"But I was well prepared for it because my husband David had trained me in the Forest of Bowland which is also, of course, very hilly."

Mrs Nixon, a customer services assistant for Blackburn company Medistox, based on the Greenbank Business Park, has already handed over the money she raised.

Wartime buddy missed

PENSIONER Tom Wolstoncroft has flown home to Canada after a failed bid to find his long-lost buddy from the Second World War, Alf Waite.

While visiting his 102-year-old mother in Preston, Mr Wolstoncroft visited various Royal British Legion Clubs in the area, including Todmorden trying to trace his pal.

He said: "I decided to have a last attempt to track down Alf but drew a blank everywhere. Alf liked a drink and, being an old soldier, I thought there was a fair chance of him being a member of the Legion.

"But I drew a blank here, there and everywhere else. "We had some good times together and I have to admit we got ourselves into some fair scrapes.''

Tom, who emigrated after the war, now lives in Staveley, Alberta.

Guardsman best pals have become brothers in arms

BEST friends Christopher Dunlop and Gavin Reid are celebrating becoming guardsman after six months intensive army training.

The teenagers will soon be parting company after completing courses at Pirbright, Surrey, and Catterick, North Yorkshire.

After his passing-out formalities, 18-year-old Christopher, of Heys Lane, Blackburn, will be joining F Company at Wellington Barracks, opposite Buckingham Palace.

His friend Gavin, 17, who comes from Darwen, will be stationed in Northern Ireland and both are looking forward to a successful Army career. Christopher, who is set to take part in the prestigious Trooping the Colour, said: "When I left school I was looking round for jobs but I found things like shelf-stacking bored me. I wanted an action-packed life, so I joined the Army. I can't wait to start in London."

Gavin added: "I went to college for a year but I got bored and wanted to do something exciting and different. I enjoyed my training and my parents are really pleased."

Both lads, who are now ranked as guardsmen, start their new posts on June 15. Sgt Paul Barry, of Blackburn Army Careers Office in Church Street, said: "It's the first time we've had two Scots Guards pass out together and it's great to see two friends from my regiment starting out."

Hello, Your Tiny-ness!

PETITE Tina Barnard met the Queen this week because of her efforts as a voluntary youth worker - and couldn't believe how small the monarch was!

Mother-of-three Tina enjoyed brunch with Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace as a thank-you for her voluntary work helping youngsters involved in the Youth Works project from Blackburn's Roman Road estate.

Tina, 28, of Fishmoor Drive, Blackburn, said: "I couldn't believe how small she was. I'm only 4ft 11in and she was the same height as me."

"I came close to her but didn't get a chance to speak to her. I spoke to Prince Charles and he's lovely - very down-to-earth, not what you imagine." Tina mingled with youth workers from across the country and stars including Zoe Ball, All Saints, Eternal and Denise Van Outen at the bash, held in the grand ballroom at the palace on Monday.

She said: "It was amazing. I had a tour around the palace. Everything is edged in gold. It is just fabulous."

Tina hopes to go into full-time voluntary work at Youthworks when her children Michael, 11, Benjamin, nine, and Jade, four, are older.

She said: "I love the voluntary work. Every hour I have spare, I spend down at Youthworks.

"The project is making a real difference to the kids. They are really coming on."

School reunion

FORMER pupils who attended Haslingden Grammar School between 1968 and 1975 are being invited to catch up with old friends at a reunion later this month.

Anyone interested in attending the event on June 13 should contact Michele on 01254 824601.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.