By Andrew Clarke

Published at 11:05, Thursday, 02 August 2012

THE annual Iron Ore Rally, which is set to rock Egremont this weekend, will be particularly special for one resident of the town.

Face of the rally: Former miner Colin Nichol at the launch of the Iron Ore Rally 2012

Colin Nichol has spent the last year battling cancer, but has been determined to be well enough to take to the stage with his rock ’n’ blues band MT Arms to kick off the Rally tomorrow (Friday) night.

And the event will be doubly special for Colin, who worked as an iron ore miner for many years at Florence Mine, as the event was established 17 years ago to celebrate Egremont’s mining history.

Grant Hollis, one of the organisers, said: “We have paid tribute to Colin’s long support of the rally by using his face, in full mining attire, for the rally logo which can be seen on T-shirts, stickers and even on the pre-booked tickets.

“The original photo was taken by local photographer Karen Storr, who has kindly allowed us to use it.

“It has been modified to something snappy for the logo but clearly shows Colin in full flight as a proud iron ore miner.”

The rally attracts motorcyclists from all over Britain, and there will be prizes for various classes of vehicle, all of which have been sponsored by local businesses.

As well as MT Arms, there will be live music from Millom band Drunk in Public, supported by Rock Solutions from Preston, on Saturday.

Other attractions include trade stands, refreshments and even an onsite tattooist.

The Iron Ore Rally takes places from Friday to Sunday at Egremont Rugby Union Club.

For more details or tickets email ironorerally@hotmail.com or find the event on Facebook. Alternatively telephone Grant (01946 824269) or Bryan (01946 824014).

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk