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An inspirational young woman recently ticked off one of the items on her bucket list thanks to the team at Ainscough Crane Hire.
Laura Nuttall, a 21-year-old second-year Manchester University politics, philosophy and economics student was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, a fast‐growing and aggressive tumour that invades brain tissue, in Autumn 2018, after experiencing headaches not long after starting at Kings College London, where she had originally chosen to study.
While undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy and flying to Germany every four weeks for immunotherapy, which isn’t available on the NHS, Laura is also channelling her energy into raising money as an ambassador for the Brain Tumour Charity and completing an inspiring journey of accomplishments.
Laura has since seen Sir Paul McCartney in concert, met Michelle Obama, been on a safari tour in South Africa and, on a trip to New York, met Saturday Night Live cast members including Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
She has also inspired Peter Kay to return to the public eye for the first time in years, hosting two live Q&A’s at the 02 Apollo in Manchester, in a bid to raise funding for Laura.
However, there are certain items on Laura’s bucket list that have been able to be ticked off closer to home, such as an excursion to the Heinz Beans factory in Wigan.
One of Laura’s wishes was to experience operating a crane. Laura’s grandmother Heather contacted Ainscough Crane Hire, based in Standish, who were more than happy to oblige.
In order to make her experience extra‐special, and under expert supervision, Ainscough’s Heavy Cranes team arranged for Laura to operate the levers of a CC2800 600t Crawler Crane at the company’s Leyland depot – the largest crane in Ainscough’s fleet. Laura was able to lift a 10t ballast slab and track the Crawler Crane across a test area.
This particular crane is so large it can take up to 28 trucks to mobilise it and requires a second crane to help to build it.
Ainscough ensured Laura received the VIP treatment, and she is now one of the few people in the country to have operated this magnificent crane. Laura operated the levers under supervision and was able to lift a ballast slab during her visit.
Laura Nuttall said: “After I was diagnosed with brain cancer, I had to give up my driver’s license, so I decided I would try to drive everything and anything I could! I’ve driven mainstream things like a bus and a few HGV’s and I thought, why not see if you could operate a crane too!”
Chris Britton, Heavy Cranes senior operations manager at Ainscough Crane Hire, said: “Being a part of Laura’s inspiring story has been a huge honour for us. We’re so pleased she enjoyed her experience on the crane, and would like to extend an open invitation if she would ever like to return.
“Laura is a brave and positive individual that has accomplished so much for someone so young, and we look forward to watching her continue to fulfil her bucket list.”
Laura is currently fundraising in the hope of raising £80,000 for further treatment which is not available on the NHS. To find out more, please visit:https://www.gofundme.com/f/doing‐it‐for‐laura‐2021
With special thanks to Chris Britton, Mark Middleton, and Andy Walls.
