Wirral flying high after fun weekend

Jun 9 2008 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post

Wirral flying high after fun weekend

WIRRAL has enjoyed a weekend full of summer fun, as both cyclists and kite fliers made the most of hot weather.

The 10th Annual Wirral Bikeathon raised thousands of pounds for Leukaemia Research yesterday.

And The Kites over the Mersey Festival, at New Brighton, attracted kite flyers from all the world, exhibiting their colourful creations.

A total of 1,400 cyclists completed the Bikeathon course, starting and finishing at Arrowe Country Park.

The first 13-mile leg took them through Caldy and Hoylake and through Greasby. Those with extra stamina then completed a second 13-mile leg through Irby, around Thornton Hough and back to Arrowe Park.

Organisers have estimated that £44,000 has been raised, but that will rise when gift aid is taken into account.

Keith Barlow, 57, from Moreton, was completing his 10th Bikeathon in a row.

Mr Barlow said: “The event has been brilliant from day one. It is so well organized and it is a really great course but what keeps me going is to visualize the people we are helping particularly the children with leukemia”.

Wirral West MP, Stephen Hesford, was on hand to present the riders with their medals. He said: “It’s so good to see familiar faces coming back again to take part and so many families and young people raising money, exercising and enjoying themselves at the same time.”

At Wirral’s two-day International Kite Festival, kite flyers from around the globe helped to brighten up New Brighton’s skyline – including the Princess of Bali, Helmi Ginanti, who flew her traditional Balinese and Indonesian kites.

Godfrey and Karen Gamble, who have been given the title of best kite-flyers in Australia, brought their beautifully decorated 3-D kites, along with Rolf Zimmerman, one of Germany’s greatest kite makers, and Meg Albers, who is the organiser of the Niagara Falls kite Festival.

Wirral’s Mayor, Cllr Adrian Jones, said: “This is an honour for Wirral to have all these wonderful people bringing their kites here.

“We are also delighted to welcome Princess RA Helmi Ginanti to the festival, illustrating the multi-cultural nature of the event.”

lizawilliams@dailypost.co.uk