It was a gentle dawn on Sunday, 5 June. The ghostly mists over this ancient land slowly slipped away as the birdsong welcomed the first rays of the rising sun… and nobody would have believed that this day, of all days, there was going to be a battle.
Stuart Hall & Co were all set to take part in “It’s A Knockout 2016” at Witton Castle for Butterwick Hospice. The hospice plays a huge role in our community – caring for as many people as possible of all ages who are living with a progressive, life- limiting illness. And they do all of that free of charge for those diagnosed and their loved ones.
So… out with the office garb. On with the hardcore trainers and the noble breastplates (well, t-shirts, anyway), and the transformation was complete.
Our team, “Sir Countsalot”, strode onto the battlefield with nary a knee-knocking to do battle with some of the finest teams in County Durham.
The competition was fierce (so was the sun, for once) and the missions imposing. “It’s A Knockout” has been known to thwart even royalty, after all… But the knights of the times tables took it all in their stride – even on decidedly wobbly ground.
Our very own David Sawyer shone as a hero, navigating the jungle of inflatable obstacles like a North East Mowgli.
What sort of rigorous training regimen does it take to become such a top, Knockout athlete? We asked him after his trials, as he was being rubbed down by a couple of local attractions.
“I didn’t need my calculator to calculate my way over these obstacles! We do more than just count up the numbers, you know,” he smiled.
And what a victory! In the end, “Sir Countsalot” carried away the bronze – a heady achievement of Olympic proportions for Stuart Hall & Co in our first year of participating in “It’s A Knockout”. For us, though, it was more important to raise funds for our chosen charity, Butterwick Hospice… and on that score, we raised the most of all the teams.
Helen Kirby, Butterwick fundraiser, said, “We had a great day at It’s A Knockout. The teams were brilliant – everyone really tried to outdo the other teams and were very competitive. The fancy dress costumes were very funny. Sir Countsalot were amazing and raised the most sponsorship on the day!”
A day of brilliant fun – special thanks to everybody who supported us in our quest for Butterwick Hospice. Who’s up for next year, then?
Janice Carmedy-Pye – Captain of Team Optimum Skills: “You’re on, Countsalot – let the games begin!”
Roll on “It’s A Knockout 2017″… we’re going for gold!
