Rescue team on the move to new home

Apr 15 2008 by Emma Davison, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HOLME Valley Mountain Rescue Team could soon have new headquarters.

The voluntary organisation has been looking for a site to build a permanent base as it has only three years left on its lease at its current headquarters at Emergency House in Marsden.

Members have now found a site next to the Robert Ashton Memorial Park at Meltham.

They are waiting to see if they get the green light for the building from Kirklees Council planners.

If they get the go-ahead members plan to hold a series of fundraising events to pay for the building.

It would include a garage to house their vehicles, a kitchen, an office and a training room.

The group’s secretary, Martin Burrie, said: “We are based at Emergency House, but we’ve only got a five-year lease.

“Because the fire brigade can’t see any further than that we have been looking into the option of building elsewhere.

“The particular plot that we want to build on is not in use. It has allotments on it, but nobody is using them because they are surrounded by trees and there’s too much shade.

“We have got permission to use the land via Meltham Town Council, but we have to wait to see if we can build on it because the land is urban green space.

“I can’t say when it will be built if we get permission. We’ve got to do all the fundraising for it first.

“We were originally going to share it with the David Brown Tractor Club, but they’ve pulled out, which means we have to go it alone now.”

The rescue team is called on by the police to help with search and rescue in rural areas. It averages about 20 call-outs a year.

Mr Burrie said it would help the team to have a permanent base in Meltham because it was more central to where they carried out their work.

He added: “Marsden’s great, but it’s right at the end of our area as we cover the south part of West Yorkshire. As Meltham is more central to our area it is much more practical for us.

“We hope we will get permission. If we do it will be the first purpose-built premises that we’ve had, so we’re looking forward to that prospect.”