Brunel the Bear has now completed his travels in the North West on his Big Journey.
Brunel the Bear (http://www.brunelthebear.org.uk/) is a well dressed toy bear named after the inspiring Victorian Civil Engineer. He is a mascot for ICE members and is travelling between engineering landmarks in a giant sustainable relay.
On the 22nd May the North West region received Brunel the Bear from the Wales region, with a handover at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
From there Brunel set off to explore the rest of the region. His journey began in Cheshire with a trip to the Anderton Boat Lift in Northwich and a walk of the walls in Chester. He then visited Lancashire, exploring Blackpool and visiting the construction of the new tram. In Manchester, Brunel was a guest at the Joint Institution Transport Lecture where he learnt about Infrastructure Resilience.
Moving north he explored Grizedale Forest in Cumbria and then sailed to the Isle of Man. On the island, Brunel took part in a school visit, learnt about the sustainable side of the TT races and had the chance to meet civil engineers working on the island.
The culmination of the fortnight was an epic 65-mile sponsored bike ride on Saturday 4th June, from central Manchester to Stoke-on-Trent. It took the cycle team 11 hours to complete the 65-mile route, along the Bridgewater and Trent & Mersey canals. Once in Stoke, Brunel the Bear was handed over to a separate team of engineers from the West Midlands, who had cycled North from Wolverhampton to meet them.
The Bear’s journey around the North West has raised over £500 for Engineers Without Borders- UK and the North West branch of Engineers for Overseas Development (EFOD).
And there is still time to donate: www.justgiving.com/brunelNW or http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/BruneltheBearNW
Thanks to all those who took part!
Note: More photos from Brunel's journey are at https://picasaweb.google.com/108272901896967689473/BrunelTheBear#