Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team

Last updated November 27, 2023

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.

History

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]

Role

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:

Bolton MRT
Bowland Pennine MRT
Calder Valley SRT
Rossendale and Pendle MRT
The Cave Rescue Organisation
The Search and Rescue Dog Association (SARDA)

The HVMRT is a Registered Charity (No. 1015532) and a Limited Company by Guarantee (No. 2764292).^[5]^[6]

Team equipment

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.

Related Research Articles

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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wessenden Valley</span>

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References

1 2 Davison, Emma (20 April 2015). "New headquarters for Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team unveiled to the public for the first time". The Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
↑ "Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team makes permanent move to Marsden fire station". BBC News. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
↑ Atkinson, Neil (10 June 2015). "Holme Valley Mountain Rescue celebrate 50 years of saving lives". The Huddersfield Daily Examiner. No. 49, 685. p. 11. ISSN 0962-1644.
1 2 Waites, Mike (28 January 2014). "The beer that could help when trouble's brewing". The Yorkshire Post. p. 3. ISSN 0963-1496.
↑ "THE HOLME VALLEY MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM - Charity 1015532". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
↑ "THE HOLME VALLEY MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2023.

External links

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[henhq-1] 1 2 Davison, Emma (20 April 2015). "New headquarters for Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team unveiled to the public for the first time". The Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Retrieved 19 July 2016.

[2] "Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team makes permanent move to Marsden fire station". BBC News. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2016.

[3] Atkinson, Neil (10 June 2015). "Holme Valley Mountain Rescue celebrate 50 years of saving lives". The Huddersfield Daily Examiner. No. 49, 685. p. 11. ISSN 0962-1644.

[YP-4] 1 2 Waites, Mike (28 January 2014). "The beer that could help when trouble's brewing". The Yorkshire Post. p. 3. ISSN 0963-1496.

[5] "THE HOLME VALLEY MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM - Charity 1015532". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2023.

[6] "THE HOLME VALLEY MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2023.

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