Hull’s flood plight touches hero Alf

Mr Alfred Hale (86), from Bolton, who raised £700 for Hull flood victims, and his wife Eunice (84) are presented with engraved glasses for the Mayor of Bolton.

Having fun in Scarborough

An 86-year-old man from Bolton has been so moved by Hull’s plight following the floods that he has raised £700 to help the victims.
Former coal miner and Second World War veteran Alfred Hale raised the money by putting collecting boxes in shops in his local area.
“The way it came across on TV looked really tragic,” said the great-grandfather of three.
“You people had it bad but in Lancashire we were lucky. I’m just thankful to be able to do my bit to help.”
Mr Hale donated the money through the British Red Cross Floods Appeal, which provided transport for him and his wife Eunice (84) to travel to Hull, where they presented the cheque to Lord Mayor Cllr Brenda Petch.
“We are overwhelmed that other people are thinking about us and trying to raise money for us,” said Cllr Petch, who entertained the couple with lunch in the mayor’s parlour.
But Mr Hale is no stranger to raising money - in the last seven years he has raised more than £36,000 through his collection boxes and donated it to a range of causes including flood and earthquake victims around the world.
On hearing of his visit to Hull, the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Barbara Robson, announced that Bolton Council would donate £5,000 to the British Red Cross Floods Appeal.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Scarborough, Cllr Janet Jefferson, together with traders and residents in the town, raised money to pay for coaches to take 96 flood victims from Hull for a day out in their resort.
The day included children’s events, lunch, goody bags of vouchers, ice cream and tea, and was topped off with tickets for a summer show performance before the return home.

To find out more about how Hull flood victims have been helped see pages 16 and 17.