Newbury and Thatcham Advertiser

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Newbury & Thatcham Advertiser

Friday, November 26, 2021

NEWS

Driving duo put Pudsey on map Driving instructor and ex-student take part in national challenge

Rainbow runners zip through town IF you thought you caught a glimpse of George, Zippy and Bungle racing around Newbury recently, you wer- en’t mistaken. often you see George, Zippy and Bungle running a 10k.”

She said the trio – which also included Newbury men George Brooksmith as George and Danny Stevens as Bungle – devised their own route for the event, starting and ending at the pub to much applause. “We were very grateful to the people that stopped us to make donations and people in the cars also stopped to give us money,” Miss Parkin said. “People kept talking to us as we went and were donating money.” So far the run has raised £600, with more than £1,195 raised in total for the defibril- lator. Miss Parkin, whose next event is the London Land- marks Half Marathon, said she was keen to do something to help buy something so im- portant.

Lee-Sian Black is no stranger to jumping spi- ders - she owns 11 - but the newest member to join the household apparently went missing in the post for a while before finally arriv- ing safely at its new home. Mrs Black said: “The spider was coming from a breeder in Norwich and was due to arrive some time dur- ing Tuesday morning.” However, the mother-of- two was alarmed when she received a text message from the postal service tell- ing her that her new pet had been delivered and signed for. “I was really worried,” she said. “The spiders are sent special delivery and put in boxes with heat packs to keep them safe. “They are very fragile creatures and would not survive long in the wrong conditions.” Mrs Black, who lives by The Downgate pub in Hun- gerford, said she started knocking on neighbours’ doors, but no one had tak- en in the tiny eight-legged creature. Mrs Black put out a plea on a Hungerford Facebook page, which someone at Three fundraisers donned costumes of the colourful characters – from 1970s chil- dren’s TV show Rainbow – at the weekend in a bid to raise cash of a defibrillator. Donna Parkin, 47, from Thatcham, came up with the idea to boost the fundraising efforts of the Old London Ap- prentice pub. The pub is raising money to buy a defibrillator after land- lady Caroline Amor rushed to the aid of a customer who had collapsed, giving him CPR be- fore paramedics arrived. Luckily, the man was OK, but it kickstarted the fund- raising effort to purchase the life-saving piece of kit. “I have run marathons be- fore that were easier than that,” Miss Parkin said after- wards. “It was so hot. “I had bought the costume for a fancy dress competition and so I said I would do a 10km “That protection is what Harper’s Law will provide and I am delighted that it will soon become a reality. “It’s been a long journey and a lot of hardwork. I know Andrew would be proud to see Harper’s Law reach this important milestone. “I would also like to thank my incredible Harper’s Law team, as well as the public for their unstinting support for such an important cam-

By HINNA AAMANI hinna.aamani@newburynews.co.uk @hinnaa_nwn

A NEWBURY driving in- structor is putting Pudsey on the map in a nationwide driving challenge for Chil- dren in Need. Using Strava, a GPS track- ing app that records running and cycling routes, instruc- tors up and down the country have been driving individual stretches of their regions to create a country-sized Pudsey Bear. The Big Learner Relay is a nationwide annual charity project, whereby driving in- structors from Scotland down to Devon take to the wheel for charity. Raising money for Chil- dren in Need, Newbury-based instructor Peter Skelton and former driving student Grace Armstrong, 19, have driven from Newbury to Basingstoke, creating a part of the iconic yellow bear’s leg. Not only did they take on the challenge, but they did it in style, sporting onesies picked out by Miss Armstrong. Mr Skelton, who has been an instructor for almost 18 years, explained that the initi- ative, which was to have been a convoy of cars taking part in a relay drive, now looks a little bit different, post-pandemic. He said: “It used to be a full-

George Brooksmith, Danny Ste- vens and Donna Parkin are set for their fundraising run run in it. Someone said we should get George and Bungle to do it too; so we did. “I thought we had to do something difficult. It had to be worth sponsoring. “Everyone runs, but it’s not paign. “Those who believed that the right thing is worth do- ing despite the hurdles and challenges that we needed to be overcome.” PC Harper, 28, died af- ter his foot was caught in a crane strap attached to the back of a car driven by Long. He was dragged for more than a mile along country roads as the trio fled the scene of a quad bike theft. Long, from College Piece,

“None of us ever knowwhen we might need one,” she said. You can help support the fundraiser at www.justgiv- i ng . c om/ c r owd f und i ng / george-brooksmith-1 Victory in fight for Harper’s Law n Continued from front Mortimer, admitted PC

on relay; it goes on every year, but not last year because of Covid. “We called it the Big Learn- er Relay. “It used to be a convoy of cars, but now it’s individual instructors using Strava. “I was asked, six years ago, to be the lead car for Newbury to Swindon with 20 other in- structors in the area.” Mr Skelton called the chal- lenge “rewarding” and said that it was great that, as an industry, driving instructors were doing their bit for char- ity. Grace Armstrong and Peter Skelton

Ms Armstrong drove the hour and half journey with Mr Skelton and said that it was nice to be a part of the chal- lenge. She added that they had to drive the route twice to get the perfect outline on Strava. Miss Armstrong, who passed her driving test in Au- gust this year, said: “[Peter] asked me and I said yes be- cause it was a good cause.” The progress of the project can be tracked online, where a live map shows the outline being built across the country: https://bit.ly/32jul6C

Harper’s manslaughter, while Cole and Bowers – from Paices Hill, Aldermas- ton, and Windmill Corner, Mortimer Common, respec- tively – were both convicted of manslaughter after a trial. Home Secretary Priti Pa- tel, said: “It is with thanks to the dedication of Lissie and his family that I am proud to be able to honour Andrew’s life by introducing Harper’s Law.”

Jumping spider’s long trip to new home REGAL jumping spider Una had a longer journey than expected before ar- riving at her Hungerford home after a trip in a post office van.

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Lee-Sian Black with Una the jumping spider

jump around 10cms,” she said. “You can see which direc- tion they are going to jump and when they are about to because they lift their two front legs.” The spiders are native to Central and South America, but Mrs Black said hers are all bred in this country. Una is about 10mm and even at full growth will only get to 20mm. “I keep them in small, but tall perspex enclosures on a bookshelf in the sitting room,” Mrs Black said.

photographer husband said he wanted to practice more micro-photography during lockdown and that a spider would be a good subject. “I told him he could get a spider, but not to expect me to look after it,” she added. “I didn’t think spiders were my thing.” But when the first spider, Lucas, arrived, Mrs Black was hooked. But if the small spiders jump, surely she might lose them? “They leave a sort of bun- gee cord on your skin and

Hungerford Post Office spot- ted. “Basically, because of Covid the postie had to sign for the package herself be- fore bringing it to the door. “Once she’d signed for it she realised she had the wrong address, but she need- ed to continue with her de- liveries in Lambourn before she could bring it to me. “In the meantime, the sys- tem sent me the message to say it had been delivered.” Mrs Black said she had no interest in spiders until her