EXAMINER community award winner Mike France has had another hectic year saving lives.
Mike and his team from Woodhead Mountain Rescue spent many hours in Sheffield and Rotherham in the immediate aftermath of last month’s devastating floods in South Yorkshire.
They rescued patients from an old folks home as floodwater lapped up towards their beds.
Mike, who has today urged people to nominate unsung heroes and heroines for the Examiner community awards, said: “One man had just had a hip replacement and had to be airlifted out by a Sea King helicopter.
“We also led many other people to safety as the floodwaters continued to rise.’’
Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team joined forces with Edale Mountain Rescue Team from Derbyshire and between them had more than 40 members helping the overstretched firefighters, police and paramedics in the most badly flood-hit areas.
Many used their own four-wheeled drive vehicles to rescue stranded motorists and drive people to safety from their flooded homes.
Mike has been a mountain rescuer for 35 years and is now leader of Hepworth-based Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team, chairman and search manager of the Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation and also chairman of the National Fundraising Group for Mountain Rescue England and Wales.
He said: “Winning the Examiner award helped to raise the profile of mountain rescue and the work we do. I think the Sheffield floods have shown that our members have considerable skills which are a vital community resource when disaster strikes.
“There are many categories in the Examiner community awards and everyone must know someone who deserves recognition. ”I would urge them to get those nominations in.’’
Over the last few months, Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team has also:
Carried a 45-year-old Honley man to safety after a fall from his mountain bike on the moors bordering South Yorkshire. He had suffered arm injuries and a broken collarbone in the fall during last Christmas holidays.
Found an elderly man on the moors in South Yorkshire last Christmas Day after he had got lost while out walking.
Helped to seal off a moor overnight in February when a high-explosive bomb was found on the Peak District moors. The bomb was discovered by two mountain bikers riding on a track towards Broomhead Moor near Stocksbridge. Army bomb disposal teams were called from Nottingham and discovered that the bomb contained high explosive and was in a dangerous condition.
They, along with South Yorkshire Police and members of the Woodhead Mountain Rescue team, sealed off a 1,500ft zone around the bomb through the night.
Rescued a couple and 15-year-old boy from a blizzard on the moors above Holmfirth on a wintry evening in January.
Braved “horrible” weather at the end of May to rescue a Manchester school party from the moors above Holmfirth. They spent hours in a bitingly-cold wind, driving rain and dense visibility to save 17 children and four teachers stranded on the bleak moors near Black Hill.
They were found just in time and rescuers had feared they may have been facing a disaster as the youngsters were ill-equipped and Oldham Mountain Rescue Team found four of the youngsters on a rock ledge – two suffering from hypothermia and the other two transfixed by fear from vertigo.
The Examiner Community Awards categories open to nomination are Friend Of The Year, Services To The Community, Young Personality, Courage Award, Sports Personality Of The Year, Sports Team Of The Year, Services To Charity, Arts Award, Teacher Of The Year and Emergency Services Personality.
The final category, Lifetime Achievement, will be decided by a panel of judges and the winner will be announced soon.
To enter, fill in the nomination form on this page or enter online at www.examiner.co.uk/communityawards
