Stu Francis took part in haggis run to help Bolton hospitals

Comedian Stu Francis hangs on to the haggis as a 10-man team of runners and supporters celebrate a marathon charity effort in January 1980. Stu Francis, Great Haggis Run, Bolton 1980 (Picture: Newsquest) The runners from the 41st (Lever Bridge) Bolton Scout group completed a 160-mile trek from Dumfries in Scotland to the Ukrainian Club in Bolton in 19 hours running in five-mile relays. They were raising money to buy new equipment for Bolton’s two main hospitals.

The haggis the runners carried in a rucksack arrived in Bolton without so much as a bruise and was served up at the Bolton Burns Society annual Burns Night supper. There were no reports of anyone getting food poisoning. Bolton-born Stu Francis, who had just taken over as host of the TV show Crackerjack, had taken part in the relay race.



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