THEY’RE there for you 24/7, 365 days a year.
Now the team of volunteers at Woodhead Mountain Rescue needs you.
With costs rising and donations falling, the chances that the Hepworth-based emergency service may fold are increasing month on month.
This year the team, which pays for much of its own equipment and training, is struggling for cash as fuel costs and the number of calls-outs rise.
And with RAF helicopters being sent to plug gaps in Afghanistan, even that is having a knock-on effect.
And to make matters worse, the number of entrants for their main fundraiser this year is well down on normal.
Search dog handler Wayne Thackray said they were desperate for more walkers and fell runners to take on their 16 or 23-mile Grin ‘n’ Bear It charity challenge in the Peak District early next month.
Said Wayne: “There’s only 30 entrants at the moment. This time last year it was well in excess of 100.
“We’re desperate for people to come and enjoy themselves and help us out.
“We don’t know what the big drop in numbers is down to – perhaps it’s the credit crunch?
“The walk is not beyond most people’s capability as long as they are fairly fit and it’s a major source of revenue for us for the year.”
The Woodhead team has been involved in many high publicity searches in the last few years including the hunt for Shannon Matthews and missing York chef Claudia Lawrence.
They are also highly medically trained, hovering just below paramedic level.
Wayne said their remit was widening, but as they didn’t have professional fund-raising teams it was putting even more pressure on the budget.
He added: “Mountain rescue is so much more than mountains these days.
“We are now getting involved in disaster planning which increases costs as the equipment becomes more specialised.
“There’s all sorts of costs that mount up and then you realise we’re running out of money.
“We’re out there doing difficult challenging things 365 days-a-year.
“We get called out when the Air Ambulance can’t fly or as soon as the weather deteriorates.
“With all the RAF choppers going to Afghanistan that also has a domino effect on us.
“We’ve been happy to be in the background up to now, but we realise we need to raise our profile.”
Organisers have put together a new route for this year’s walk on Saturday October 3, taking in the bridleways, footpaths, and moorland in the north east of the Peak District.
All participants will be get a good hot meal no less. Entry costs £8 in advance, or £10 on the day. A downloadable application form and more details can be found at www.woodheadmrt.org
