Tadley vicar joins firefighters' charity engine pull

Fire engine pulled from Silchester to Tadley

A Tadley vicar went shoulder-to-shoulder with firefighters on a charity engine pull from Silchester to Tadley on Saturday morning, raising £2,500 for The Firefighters Charity.

The Rev Richard Harlow, of the United Benefice of Tadley, Pamber Heath and Silchester, was among team members comprising Hampshire firefighters, including senior officers, and members of locally-based fitness group, Momentum Kettlebell, and Basingstoke gym, Optimal Health and Performance.

Mr Harlow said it proved a great community effort and a chance to “put something back into the pot” for firefighters who did a tremendous job for the local community.

“It was demanding, but fun and in a good cause,” said Mr Harlow.

Teams of 10 pulled the fire engine two miles, starting from the Calleva Arms, Silchester, to Sainsbury’s in Mulfords Hill, Tadley, via Pamber Heath.

The distance was broken into half-mile pulls, with changeovers at the Pelican pub in Pamber Heath and Broomsquire Hotel in Silchester Road.

Gary Blackman, crew manager at Tadley Fire Station, said it was a great effort by the fire service and local community, with support from 23 companies.

He continued: “It was tough on the legs but we surprisingly did it in a quick time (one hour 15 minutes). Thank you to everyone who came out on the route to cheer us on.”