Join Paddy's Army!
Anyone who takes part in running events, be they large or small, understands the debt they owe to the people who give freely of their time to help those events happen.
The Spitfire Scramble is no different and in 2016 we thought of a name for the volunteers who help us.
Paddy’s Army was named after race director Danny’s nephew, Paddy Dear. Paddy was one of the event’s first volunteers, spending his weekend in 2015 riding tirelessly around the course with signs and glowsticks, humping bottles of water, marking out the car lanes on the camp site and spending hours clearing up signage and other race paraphernalia at the end along with his brother Joe and some of his mates.
In March 2016, Paddy suddenly and tragically died, aged just 16. He was, unbeknown to his friends, family and teachers, suffering from sepsis, which took hold of him on a school field trip in Wales following a throat infection.
We can never replace him and we miss him every day, but in 2016 we were bowled over by the number of his friends who stepped forward and pledged to work the whole weekend, just as he would have done.
Paddy’s Army was born, and it was bolstered by yet more friends, family and even participants who simply wanted to be a part of the weekend and make it work.
We have decided that his name will live on in our volunteer force from now on, and invite anyone interested to email us at info@spitfirescramble.co.uk.
It’s a source of pride and comfort to Paddy’s mum, dad, brother and sister that we will carry his name with us for as long as we continue to stage this event, and we feel it’s important that everyone who helps us knows why.
So, if you’d like to join us not only to help make this much loved event happen, but also to help us remember a very special young life, we’d love to have you.
Thanks for reading.
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