NORTH WEST & ISLE OF MAN
PAST EVENTS

On a beautiful Saturday in July 250 supporters of The Leprosy Mission came from all over the north west of England to join together in a new 'Venture' in support of the Mission's work. It was a day of varied transport experiences as five coaches picked up excited passengers and arrived within 10 minutes of each other at the pier in Ambleside.

After a leisurely coffee or an ice cream they boarded the Windermere ferry 'Teal' - a 73 year old boat maintained lovingly and adapted beautifully to modern standards of travel.

The scenery and the peace of Lake Windermere were breathtaking. After a brief stop at Bowness, the Teal sailed on to Lakeside at the southern end of the lake and waiting for us was a steam train of the Lakeside and Haverthwaite railway. We stepped back even further in time with the sight, sounds and smells of a 'proper' railway - and had time to explore the gift shop, cafe and engine sheds at our destination half an hour later.

Our coaches then took us on to the delightful village of Cartmel with its magnificent Priory church. Guided tours of the Priory were on offer and the famous sticky toffee pudding of Cartmel and superb afternoon teas were enjoyed by all.

To crown the day we all gathered in the Priory for a service led by our very own John Roughley (north east Area Co-ordinator for The Leprosy Mission) and the Vicar of Cartmel, Canon Robert Bailey. John gave an inspiring message and during the last hymn a collection was taken for the work of The Leprosy Mission. This amounted to an amazing £1,263.  Thank you to everyone! We raised approx £4,000 in all.