darren
Joined: 28 Dec 2005
Posts: 334
Location: Yeovil, Somerset
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| Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 9:24 pm Post subject: News about Michael Bromfield |
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Some of you have taken an interest in Michael Bromfield, who recently made an approach to the club with an interest in acquiring some of the shares of the club.
As you may be aware, he's been abroad for some time, and recently met with problems on his journey. He's issued the following press release:
TRAVEL BOSS RESCUED IN NEPAL
Local businessman Michael Bromfield, Chairman of Queens Award winning Casterbridge Tours and author of Around the World with Yeovil Town has been dramatically rescued from 13,000 feet in a remote Himalayan valley by the Nepalese Army. Bromfield who has aspirations to acquire a majority shareholding in Yeovil Town was leading a small group in the Upper Langtang valley near the Tibetan border when they were hit by a freak storm that dumped several feet of snow in a matter of hours.
''It would normally have taken 6 hours to get to the nearest settlement but after a couple of hours we had only covered a fraction of the distance, we were in several feet of snow and cold and wet. Although both my clients and our porters wanted to press on as we had little food or fuel I insisted we stop as we found a shepherds hut which could provide some shelter for our porters. I realised it was dangerous to proceed as we risked serious injury in the white out conditions as well as getting lost''
The group erected two tents and awoke the following morning to find themselves in five feet of snow and with no chance of an imminent rescue due to continual snow fall and low cloud cover.
Michael was able to contact the Sherborne headquarters of CasterbridgeTours by Satellite phone and the rescue operation was coordinated by Andy Broom of Great Walks of the World , the trekking division of Casterbridge Tours.
''Unfortunately the day the weather finally cleared coincided with the biggest demonstrations in the current Nepalese turmoil and the governments
24 hour curfew restrictions prevented the Nepalese based Russian helicoptor that we had chartered from taking off but in the end we were able to persuade the Nepalese Army to divert from a surveillance mission and go and get them. However unfortunately the weather closed in and it started snowing again."
The group were finally rescued by an army helicoptor after 72 hours.
''Yes it was a bit hairy'' Michael commented ''but I had no doubt I made the right decision to stay where we had shelter, could keep warm and had at least some limited supplies. At some time everyone was tempted to try and walk out but our guide only made 400 yards in three hours and had to return.
The most difficult challenge was to ensure the group kept believing in the logic of my original decision and did not try to do anything stupid.''
''It was a great boost to learn that Yeovil had defeated Gillingham. We got out of our scrape - lets hope Yeovil can end the season positively and get out of their difficulties"
Michael has subsequently departed strife torn Kathmandu for Lhasa and is currently leading a group to the flanks of Everest in Tibet. |
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