FAMILY BUSINESS HARRISON HOLIDAYS HELPED RAISE £38,700 AT THE EVENT HELD AT THE RIVERSIDE HOLIDAY PARK

THE 5th Riverside Steam & Vintage Vehicle Rally returned to Riverside Holiday Park this April raising a massive £38,700 over 2 days of family fun.

This year's event saw approximately 30 full size steam engines, including Fred Dibnah's famous steam roller, Betsy and his iconic Land Rover.

The monies raised by the 5 local businessmen involved including William Hunter of Huntapac, Peter Waring of Wrea Green, John Johnson of Johnson's Breakdown and Recovery, and Alan Atkinson of Atkinson's Trailer Hire, has been split equally between them for distribution amongst local causes. Billy Harrison and his brother and business partner George have chosen to donate the lion's share of their pot to a cause very close to their hearts, the Royal Preston Hospital children's ward.

Billy's daughter, Victoria Grace Harrison, aged 4, was treated by the children's ward of the hospital in 2010 when she was just one year old, undergoing major surgery for septicemia and a blood clot. The toddler underwent a 3 hour mastoidectomy to remove a large lump from behind her ear before commencing an 18 month period of subsequent treatment.

The Harrison family is also donating a series of family holidays to the hospital for patients to enjoy a break in one of their wigwams at either the Royal Umpire holiday park in Preston or at the Wild Rose park in Appleby, Cumbria.

Other causes to benefit from the donations include the North West Air Ambulance who will receive £1,000; The Fire Fighters Charity who receive £500; Queenscourt Hospice, a local charity that provides support for the people of Southport, Formby and West Lancs to receive £1000.

Billy Harrison comments;- "The staff at the Preston Children's Hospital really impressed us when Victoria was under their care and we knew we had to give something back to say thank you. It was a horrible time for us and we could not have got through it without their hard work and compassion. They had never encountered a condition like Victoria's before but this did not affect the level of care she received and we will be forever grateful to every single person who looked after us."

Andy Butler, Acting Ward Manager from Royal Preston Hospital comments;- "A huge thank you to the Harrisons for the opportunity that this donation will give to the ward, the money raised will bring a great amount of pleasure to many of the families with children being treated here."

Wendy Stocki, Play Specialist Team Leader added;- "There was no need for the Harrisons to thank the hospital but we are hugely grateful for this donation all the same. It will be a huge help to us in ensuring we help many more young children like Victoria get well. Thank you to the whole family and everyone who attended the Riverside Steam and Vintage Vehicle Rally - what a fantastic way to raise money!"

Of the 500 vintage vehicles on display, including cars, trucks, tractors, motorbikes and military vehicles, one of the stars of the show was the world renowned Austin Healey 100/s car, often referred to as 'Black Beauty'. Hand built in 1956 in Warwick, and with production limited to just 50,only 20 of these magnificent models have survived around the world.

There was also a vintage fairground, complete with a steam galloper, donkey rides trade stands, food outlets, a ducking stool and other live activities to entertain the whole family including a wide range of live music, including The Lancashire Hotpots.

To date, over £168,700 has been raised from the events and donated to worthy causes in the region, £32,000 of this was raised at last year's event alone.