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The Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team is a voluntary organisation that functions as a search and rescue service covering the southern half of West Yorkshire. It is a registered charity entirely funded by public contributions.
The team takes its name from the valley of the River Holme, one of several rivers that pass through its area. However this name is more of historical than current significance. The team's headquarters are in Marsden, near Huddersfield and in the valley of the River Colne. [1]
The team was set up initially as the Holme Valley Moorland Rescue Team in 1965 [2] after the death of two Boy Scouts taking part in a Challenge Hike on local moorland. [3]
Originally based in the Holme Valley town of Meltham, the team relocated to Marsden in 2005, occupying part of the town's fire station. When the West Yorkshire Fire Service closed the Marsden fire station in 2013, the rescue team raised £60,000 to buy it, unveiling it as their official base in April 2015. [1]
Since its foundation, the team has continued to provide assistance to those who get into difficulties while taking part in leisure activities on nearly 400 square miles (1,000 km2) of the South Pennines and Northern Peak District. [4]
The team's role is not confined to aiding those who get into difficulties on high ground, however. Assistance is often provided to West Yorkshire Police on searches for missing persons in rural and semi-rural areas, and to Yorkshire Ambulance Service when casualties need to be extracted from less accessible locations. The team also helps local groups and charities by providing event safety cover, talks and education. [4]
Training exercises are held regularly to maintain a high skills and knowledge base within the team. This includes search techniques, casualty care and handling, crag and ropework, and maintenance and use of the team's own specialist equipment. On a call out, the Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team may work in partnership with neighbouring teams, or other organisations such as the Police, Fire and Ambulance services, the RAF and the West Yorkshire Air Ambulance, and holds training exercises jointly with these groups to maintain an effective partnership.
The Holme Valley MRT is a member of the Mid Pennine Search and Rescue Organisation (MPSRO); a regional body of which the following organisations are also members:
The HVMRT is a Registered Charity (No. 1015532) and a Limited Company by Guarantee (No. 2764292). [5] [6]
The Holme Valley MRT owns and maintains a great deal of specialist equipment. This needs to be constantly checked and replaced to meet regulations and this process accounts for a very large proportion of the team's expenditure. The team runs two vehicles. A long wheelbase Land Rover Defender, and a Vauxhall Movano van. Both vehicles are registered ambulances and are fitted with blue strobes. They each carry medical and communications equipment, as well as 'party kits' - equipment taken out by each hill party to aid in the initial stabilisation of a casualty, before more specialised equipment can be brought to the scene.
Marsden is a large village in the Colne Valley, in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. It is in the South Pennines close to the Peak District which lies to the south. The village is 7 miles (11 km) west of Huddersfield at the confluence of the River Colne and Wessenden Brook. It was an important centre for the production of woollen cloth. In 2020, the village had an estimated population of 3,768.
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into the similar-sized Colne is to the south of the town centre which then flows into the Calder in the north eastern outskirts of the town.
The Pennines, also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of uplands mainly located in Northern England. Commonly described as the "backbone of England" because of its length and position, the range runs from the north Midlands to North East England, near the Anglo-Scottish border. The Peak District is the southern end of the range, rising northwards from its foothills near the Trent Valley in northern Staffordshire, and further north into eastern Cheshire and southern Derbyshire. Beyond this are the South Pennines, Yorkshire Dales, and North Pennines, ending at the Tyne Gap. Beyond the gap are the Border Moors and Cheviot Hills, which are included in some definitions of the range.
The Dark Peak is the higher and wilder part of the Peak District in England, mostly forming the northern section but also extending south into its eastern and western margins. It is mainly in Derbyshire but parts are in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.
The Colne Valley is a steep sided valley on the east flank of the Pennine Hills in the English county of West Yorkshire. It takes its name from the River Colne which rises above the town of Marsden and flows eastward towards Huddersfield.
The River Colne in West Yorkshire is formed at the confluence of two brooks that originate in the Pennines close to Marsden. It flows in an easterly direction through the Colne Valley and Huddersfield towards Cooper Bridge where it flows into the River Calder.
Colne Valley is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Jason McCartney of the Conservative Party.
Holme Moss is high moorland on the border between the Holme Valley district of Kirklees in West Yorkshire and the High Peak district of Derbyshire in England. Historically on the boundary between the West Riding of Yorkshire and Cheshire, it is just inside the boundary of the Peak District National Park. The A6024 road between Holmfirth and Longdendale crosses the moor near its highest point close to Holme Moss transmitting station's prominent mast.
Saddleworth Moor is a moorland in North West England. Reaching more than 1,312 feet (400 m) above sea level, it is in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park. It is crossed by the A635 road and the Pennine Way passes to its eastern side.
Holme is a village in the Holme Valley civil parish of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. The village straddles the A6024 road between Holmbridge and Lane village, 2.5 miles (4 km) south-west of Holmfirth. It is close to the boundaries of Derbyshire and the Peak District National Park: some properties lie outside of the National Park. Holme Moss, an area of high moorland with a prominent transmitter mast, overlooks the village from the south-west.
Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) or Severn Rescue is an independent, marine and land based, search and rescue organisation covering the Severn Estuary and upper reaches of the River Severn. SARA is the largest independent lifeboat service in the UK, second only to the RNLI, with 22 operational inshore lifeboats, 20 vehicles and approximately 200 personnel. They receive no funding from the RNLI.
Mountain rescue services in England and Wales operate under the association of Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW), formerly called Mountain Rescue Council of England & Wales. The association has a number of regional mountain rescue teams, each of which is an independent charity. The team members are highly trained volunteers who are called out by the police.
The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) is the county-wide, statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is administered by a joint authority of 22 people who are appointed annually from the five metropolitan boroughs of West Yorkshire, known as the Fire and Rescue Authority.
Cornwall Search and Rescue Team was a volunteer organisation that provided inland search and rescue cover for the county of Cornwall, England. It has since been replaced by East Cornwall Search & Rescue Team and West Cornwall Search & Rescue Team.
The South Pennines is a region of moorland and hill country in northern England lying towards the southern end of the Pennines. In the west it includes the Rossendale Valley and the West Pennine Moors. It is bounded by the Greater Manchester conurbation in the west and the Bowland Fells and Yorkshire Dales to the north. To the east it is fringed by the towns of West Yorkshire whilst to the south it is bounded by the Peak District. The rural South Pennine Moors constitutes both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation.
The Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation (PDMRO) is a UK registered charity which was formed in 1964. The purpose of PDMRO is "to save life and alleviate distress, primarily in Upland and Mountain areas". This is achieved by conducting search and rescue missions for walkers, climbers and missing persons in and around the Peak District National Park.
The Buxton Mountain Rescue Team is a UK registered charity operating search and rescue missions from its base at Dove Holes near Buxton in Derbyshire. The team covers an area of about 400 square miles across Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire.
Mountain rescue in Wales is the search and rescue activities that occur in the mountainous and other wilderness environments in Wales. Wales is largely mountainous with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon, its highest summit. Mountain rescue teams are called out through the police, via the 999 system, to assist police, fire and ambulance. They also work closely with the Air Ambulance and HM Coastguard helicopters as well as the search and rescue dog associations and cave rescue.