Six-strong team in bus push fundraiser

Big-hearted Go North East employee, Garry Mitcheson is taking a busman’s holiday this Sunday, June 8, by joining three of his colleagues, his wife and one of his wife’s friends in an attempt to push a Black Cats single deck bus a distance of 100m for charity.

The challenge, held in the Stadium of Light car park at 10am, will raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Garry - a Service Delivery Manager for the Black Cats 26 and 36 bus services - dreamt up the idea after friends from his and wife Carol’s favourite fan website decided to get together to raise funds for Cancer Research UK by taking part in a Race for Life event in London.

“We couldn’t get to London for the event but really wanted to help raise money for the charity,” said Garry.  “Then I wondered what it would be like to try to push one of our buses – and the crazy idea was born.  Fortunately, I managed to persuade some similarly crazy people to help me.”

Garry, who lives in Hetton-le-Hole, will be joined by wife Carol, her friend Ian Taylor, fellow Service Delivery Managers Peter Richards and Simon Nelson and Leading Driver Colin Welsh.

The six-strong team has a combined weight of around 80 stones and will need to muster all their strength to pull the 9 metre long, eight ton bus.  However, a little bit of stamina training is all they’ve added to their daily routine.

“I’m confident we can do it,” added Garry.  “Once we manage to get the bus to start moving we’ve been told it will be easy to keep the momentum going – of course the person that told us that isn’t taking part!”

Garry is just one of a number of Go North East employees who give their time to raise money for charity.  Other fund-raising efforts have included a team completing the West Highland Way 95 mile trek and drivers who are taking collecting tin onto their buses to raise money for various charities in the lead-up to this year’s Great North Run.