04/04/2005

BALTIMORE LIFEBOAT SPONSORED WALK EASTER 2005

“Walk West Cork for Easter” This was the image used on the poster. The view is of Church Strand and the Lifeboat house the picture was taken one morning last September. Well you might expect the weather to be something similar at Easter.

On Easter Saturday and Sunday the Southern Laser Dinghy Championships were held in Baltimore Sailing Club with 128 boats racing in the Harbour in good winds and wonderful sunshine. The weather was even nicer than the picture however Easter Monday turned out to be a different kettle of fish. The morning started out dull and overcast, but as it came closer to lunch-time and time to start the walk it started to mist very lightly and we wondered if the rain would hold off for the afternoon when the annual Lifeboat walk around Lough Hine and back to the Baltimore Community Hall was to take place. Margo, our Treasurer sat at a barrel outside Bushes Bar collecting completed sponsorship cards and the money while doling out Lifeboat T-shirts to successful candidates.

The Rain came as we posed for the photo, but still not too heavily.

You may remember that last year we had a record collection of €12,500 from this walk of which €4,500 was raised by Mr Harold Johnston. It will come as no surprise that we did not expect anything like the same return but felt if we managed to collect €3000 or €4000 it was well worth the effort for the Lifeboat and their crew.

At about 2.10pm thirty-five eager participants set out from Bushes. Amongst the walkers were small children and a baby in a go-car. The rain had become heavier and almost a mile into the journey worsened, this however was not a deterrent. Lead by Alexander Hassett and Tom Bushe the walk continued on.

The walk went over by Ballymacrown, at which point we had completed 2.5 miles, if you turn up to the right through Ballymacrown you can walk over by Ballylynch and back to Baltimore this is the short route, more than half the rain soaked walkers opted for this route as a sensible solution to the weather conditions.

As the rest of us carried on the rain eased, we turned to climb the hill which would take us up to the top and we looked down over Barlogue Cove and as we walked down the other side and along the shores of Lough Hine. There is a lovely sweet smell from the grass and wild flowers when at this time of year they soak up the rain. On one side of the lane the Primroses, Bluebells, Wild Spurge and mosses of the wood on the other, the lake water lapping in the reeds.

We walked past the halfway point and turned to climb up the dreaded Lough Hine Hill this is the toughest part of the walk. After the climb it’s a mile to Ballymacrown Cross where we veered left and home as the rain started falling again through Ballylynch.

The first two walkers into the Community Hall in Baltimore after walking the long nine miles in two hours and twenty minutes were the lads Alexander Hassett aged eight and Tom Bushe aged ten.

Over the next twenty minutes the rest of the walkers staggered in wet and tired. We were greeted with soft drinks and hot tea and coffee along with a selection of cakes supplied by Brigid Cotter, chairperson of the fund raising committee, Margo O’Flynn, Anne Kelly and Ros O’Rourke. During the pleasant tea drinking whilst every body was discussing the walk and generally having a good time Margo came over with the astonishing news that the money was coming in so fast despite the day that it looked like not only were we going to raise way over our expectations but as much as last year as I’m writing the total has risen to €11,500 with more to come. This was due largely through a surprise donation of €3000 from Susan, Philip and Gudrun O’Connor who raised the monies sending e-mails to all of their friends and family.

No surprises as to who received the Baltimore Lifeboat sweat shirts Philip and Gudrun O’Connor for raising the most money doing the walk and they were the ones pushing the go-car. The winners on fastest time were Alexander Hassett aged 8 and Tom Bushe aged 10 and of course the real winner was the Baltimore Lifeboat.

On Tuesday the weather made a dramatic improvement and on Wednesday March 29th the weather was so good that people in Baltimore were sunbathing.

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