Missed our Facebook Live of forces vets pulling a @NETTram for charity? Check it out, more on tonight’s NEWS at 5.30 pic.twitter.com/MZTPo4R3FH
— Notts TV (@Notts_TV) August 3, 2016
Ex-servicemen and their supporters pulled an entire 39-tonne Nottingham tram in aid of a Beeston charity supporting forces veterans.
The group flexed their muscles at the Wilkinson Street tram depot in Basford on Wednesday to raise awareness of Forces in the Community.
And there were cheers as the team of eight managed to haul the 39-tonne tram around 30 yards along a section of track.
They were led by its founder Rick Harrington, who served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers for 11 years.
The organisation was set up to help ex-service personnel and their families with employment guidance, housing advice and mental health support.
The pull is the latest in a series of challenges Rick set himself ahead of his 50th birthday in October, after already abseiling down the tallest building in Derby earlier this year to promote the charity.
He said: “Forces in the Community has supported over 500 local veterans and their families since the opening of our Beeston Centre in 2013. We help deal with unemployment, homelessness and mental health problems on a daily basis.
“The recent addition of extended tram lines to the local transport infrastructure has benefitted many of the people we support, particularly those with mobility issues.
Picture: The tram chosen for the challenge is dedicated to local armed forces heroes
Rick and the team pulled tram number 228, which is dedicated to Nottingham’s local armed forces heroes.
The stunt is the latest in a series of challenges he has set himself ahead of his 50th birthday in October, after already abseiling down the tallest building in Derby earlier this year in an effort to boost awareness of the charity.
He added: “We’ve supported more than 500 local veterans and their families since the opening of our Beeston Centre in 2013. We help deal with unemployment, homelessness and mental health problems on a daily basis.
“The recent addition of extended tram lines has benefitted many of the people we support, particularly those with mobility issues. We’re very grateful to NET for helping us put this on.”
Following Rick’s tram pull, volunteers from Forces in the Community will board trams to travel across the city’s network to ask for charitable donations from passengers.
