BARNARD Castle group The Clique landed a knockout blow for charity at the weekend after holding their annual summer event.
It’s a Knockout took place on the Demesnes, in Barnard Castle, for the third successive year. Some 20 teams took part, enjoying traditional thrills, spills and laughs, while a sizeable crowd watched in enjoyment. The day finished with bands and a bar.
Forthe first time since the Clique, which raises cash for good causes in the dale, created the event, it didn’t rain. The team from Teesdale Renewables came out as champions and The Clique is still totting up how much was raised. Dave Harper, one of the chief organisers, said: “It’s getting more popular and we had to turn teams away this year, so the advice for 2020 is to get in early. This is our big fundraiser but it’s more than just bringing in money – it puts The Clique on the map, shows what we can do and is a great day out.”
Mr Harper said having it on the same day as the 1940s weekend wasn’t a bad thing.
“It’s about getting people into Barney,” he said, adding that a huge amount of goodwill was shown by dale businesses to the Clique’s event – from pubs giving beer free of charge for the bar to Teesdale Event and Site Services providing free portable toilets.
Technimark, from Middleton-in-Teesdale, also raised £350 on top of the fee to enter a team. Rachel Kidd, from the company, said: “We have done cake sales and raffles. The Clique is a fantastic charity to support – they do so much in the area. And if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have a day as good as this.”
