Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team Explained

Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team (or Cleveland MRT) is one of five search and rescue teams based in the North East region of England. The team is based in the village of Great Ayton in North Yorkshire. They were called out to 61 incidents in 2019, and 58 in 2020.

History

The team was founded in 1965 and is currently (2020) staffed by 50 members, both men and women.^{[1] [2]} Originally, the team was known as Cleveland Search and Rescue, and was a sister operation to the Ryedale Search and Rescue Team. Both had formed in response to the number of people who were injured or lost attempting the Lyke Wake Walk.^[3]

The team have twelve members trained in specialist recovery techniques in flooded water situations (swift water rescue). These skills were used during the 2015 flooding in York.^[4] The Department of Transport donated £3,500 to the team in 2017, to allow them to purchase a trailer for their rescue equipment.^[5] The team operates with three vehicles; one large van with communication and mapping equipment that acts as a command and control vehicle, and two Land Rovers. Cleveland MRT's base of operations is located in Great Ayton, North Yorkshire,^[6] and Lord Crathorne is the president.^[7]

Like other mountain rescue teams, the Cleveland MRT has its own area which is concentrated around Cleveland and other northern parts of the North York Moors. However, requests from what is outside of their traditional area are taken, which has seen the team deployed as far north as Kielder Forest and Blackhall Rocks.^[8] The team is dedicated to searches and rescues in the North East region alongside other mountain rescue teams; Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team, North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team, Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team, and Teesdale and Weardale.^[9] Together, the Mountain Rescue Association list this as being the North East Search and Rescue Association.^[10]

Roseberry Topping, which is on the border between North Yorkshire and Cleveland, is an often visited location for the team. On average, the team are called out twelve times a year to accidents and incidents at the location, so much so, that the MRT and the North York Moors National Park Authority, improved access for 4x4 vehicles.^[11]

Call-outs

Below are listed some of the notable call-outs that the team have been called out to;

• 1976 – The team were required to help extinguish the moorland fires on the North York Moors, which saw them out on an average of one night in every two over a fortnight.^[12]
• 1988 – The team were deployed to Kielder Forest in December 1988 to search for debris from the Lockerbie disaster. What they found was mostly personal effects of those on board.^[12]
• 2005 – The team were drafted in to help search woods near Richmond for an absconded man who was suspected of murdering Jenny Nicholl.^[13]
• 2015 – The team's Swift Water Rescue skills were needed during the 2015 Floods in York^[14]
• 2018 – The team rescued 30 runners in the North York Moors who were attempting the Hardmoors 55 run. This ultramarathon starts in Helmsley and finishes in Guisborough, some further on. The course rises and on the day, bad weather arrived after the runners had set off.^{[15] [16]}

Yearly call-outs

• 2013 – 62^[17]
• 2014 – 50^[18]
• 2015 – 42^[19]
• 2016 – 37^[20]
• 2017 – 63^[21]
• 2018 – 78^[1]
• 2019 – 61^[22]
• 2020 – 58^[23]
• 2021 – 61^[24]
• 2022 – 61^[25]
• 2023 – 54^[26]

See also

• Mountain rescue in England and Wales

External links

• Official website
• Mountain Rescue website
• Charity Commission registration (no 252905)

Notes and References

1. News: Dishman . Sophie . Beast from the East and summer fog: Why rescuers had busiest year . 24 January 2020 . Gazette Live . 2 January 2019.
2. News: Guillot . Toni . Archbishop pays a visit to mountain rescue team . The Gazette . 6 May 2015 . 18. 2056-6131.
3. Web site: History Cleveland Mountain Rescue . clevelandmrt.org.uk . 24 January 2020.
4. News: Mountain rescue flood relief stood down . 24 January 2020 . BBC News . 1 January 2016.
5. News: Flanagan . Emily . Volunteers receive government funding for water rescues . 24 January 2020 . The Northern Echo . 19 November 2017 . en.
6. News: Flanagan . Emily . Life-saving equipment gift to rescue group . 24 January 2020 . infoweb.newsbank.com . 2 March 2017. subscription.
7. News: Rescue team's vehicle boost . Teesside Gazette . 19 February 2013 . 7. 2056-6131.
8. News: Busy 24 hours for Cleveland Mountain Rescue volunteers . 24 January 2020 . infoweb.newsbank.com . 16 March 2014. limited.
9. News: Vital funds for Mountain Rescue teams are protected . The Journal . 21 March 2014 . 3. 0307-3645.
10. Web site: Mountain Rescue England and Wales North East Search and Rescue Association . www.mountain.rescue.org.uk . 24 January 2020.
11. News: Flanagan . Emily . New access for emergency vehicles to Roseberry Topping accident hotspot . 24 January 2020 . infoweb.newsbank.com . 17 June 2015. subscription.
12. News: Foad . Laura . Tributes paid to mountain rescue team and founder . Teesside Gazette . 4 December 2014 . 11. 2056-6131.
13. News: Mountain rescuers find man bailed in missing Jenny probe . 24 January 2020 . infoweb.newsbank.com . 2 August 2005. subscription.
14. News: Dean . Lizzie . The York floods are devastating and could get worse . 24 January 2020 . The Independent . 27 December 2015 . en.
15. News: Hetherington . Graeme . More than 100 runners rescued as wintry conditions caused chaos . 24 January 2020 . The Northern Echo . 19 March 2018 . en.
16. News: Hypothermic runners rescued from moors . 24 January 2020 . BBC News . 19 March 2018.
17. News: Woodcock . Laura . Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team take delivery of new specialist vehicle . 24 January 2020 . Gazette Live . 16 October 2014.
18. News: Splashing out for rescuers . The Journal . 18 February 2015 . 17. 0307-3645.
19. News: Flanagan . Emily . Award for Cleveland mountain rescue team involved in flood rescues . 24 January 2020 . infoweb.newsbank.com . 22 March 2016. subscription.
20. News: Unprecedented number of callouts for Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team . 24 January 2020 . infoweb.newsbank.com . 20 February 2017. subscription.
21. News: Team has never been so busy . Evening Gazette . 1 January 2018 . 8. 2056-6131.
22. News: Three rescued by mountain team in six hours . 24 January 2020 . BBC News . 20 January 2020.
23. News: Chapman. Hannah . Water rescue training boosted by donations. Darlington & Stockton Times . 2021-01 . 8 January 2021 . 60. 2516-5348.
24. News: Chapman. Hannah . Rescue operation after man taken ill. Darlington & Stockton Times . 2022-42 . 21 October 2022 . 18. 2516-5348.
25. Web site: Cleveland MRT. clevelandmrt.org.uk . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231201225457/https://clevelandmrt.org.uk/. 1 December 2023. 5 February 2024.
26. Whiteside . Judy . Incident figures: national status summary (January to December 2023) . Mountain Rescue . Winter 2024 . 87 . 7 . Mountain Rescue (England & Wales) . Worsley . 1756-8749.