15 July 2013 NEWS RELEASE Young people enjoy a great day out with Mountain Rescue Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team with support from the other Mountain Rescue Teams in the North East of England together with the other emergency services hosted a great day out for some very special children and young people during the weekend (Saturday 13 July) and the sun shone too, just to make a day full of adventures even more special. Each year, mountain rescuers host an event that brings together children and families from several charities with a Royal connection. Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge is the Patron of Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW) and he and his brother, Prince Harry, encourage their various charities to work together to promote their work and create opportunities for disadvantaged young people. Mike France from MREW explains: “For the last five years, different regions of Mountain Rescue have organised a day of outdoor activities for young people from several associated charities. This year, these were Centre point, which provides accommodation services for socially excluded homeless young people, Well Child, which supports children and families in managing the consequences of serious illness and the Child Bereavement Charity, which supports families affected by the loss of a child or children suffering bereavement.” In previous years, this amazing event has been held in the Lake District (Patterdale 2009 and Keswick 2012), North Wales (2010) and the Peak District (2011). This year it was Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team and the other five teams in the North East region who were proud to host the event in and around the Cleveland MRT base at Great Ayton in North Yorkshire. “Planning for the day has been underway for over a year,” says Cleveland MRT Deputy Team Leader, Carl Faulkner. “We managed to arrange accommodation and a wide selection of activities suitable for all the different age groups, abilities and agilities of the children, young people and families and everyone – more than 25 children and young people in all - seems to have had a great time.” Cleveland MRT was supported on the day by members of the North of Tyne, Northumberland National Park, Scarborough and Ryedale, Swaledale and Teesdale and Weardale teams as well as RAF Leeming MRT and members of the Search and Rescue Dog Association (SARDA). Activities included bushcraft, a visit to a mine at Kildale and demonstrations of search and rescue techniques as well as orienteering and abseiling. “Lunchtime back at Great Ayton was a bit special too,” explains Carl Faulkner, “as many of the local emergency services that we work with on a regular basis also joined in. Assistant Chief Constable Sue Cross of North Yorkshire Police led the involvement of all the Police and Ambulance services from the region. We had a visit from an RAF Sea King helicopter from Leconfield, police dog and Scene of Crime Officer demonstrations, a visit from the local Fire and Rescue Service (complete with sirens and flashing lights) and five SARDA dogs – who always steal any limelight. The younger children, in particular, loved the search dogs.” Feedback and comments since Saturday have been overwhelmingly positive. “Everyone involved, about 160 people in all, was there on a voluntary basis to make this a great day for all the children, young people and their carers and families,” says Carl Faulkner. “Their obvious enjoyment and excitement was the best thanks possible and I’d like to thank all the local businesses who also contributed to making this such a fantastic occasion.” The day concluded with a hog roast at the Cleveland MRT base and the presentation of individual photograph souvenirs and ‘goody-bags’ to all the children and families, presented by Carl Faulkner and Sue Cross from North Yorkshire Police. Despite hosting such an event it was still business as usual for the Cleveland Team when in the middle of the afternoon’s proceedings they received a call to go to the assistance of a 14 year BMX bike rider in the quarry near Great Ayton. Eight members of the Team were at the scene very quickly to carry the young man, who had broken his arm, to the waiting ambulance on a nearby road way. Barry Warrington a spokes person for the Team said ‘ Despite being fully occupied in organising the Charity Day the Team had plans in place to deal with such eventualities. A number of Team personnel were on stand by through-out the day in order to respond at a moments notice’ Ends
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 09:22:36 +0000
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