After nine months of hard work and numerous long sessions spent on location in and around the Calder Valley, the time has finally arrived to announce that our first ever CVSRT Calendar is due for release next week. The theme for the calendar was inspired by the Mountain Rescue motto, “Saving lives in wild and remote places…” and thankfully not by the ‘Calendar Girls’ – so therefore, we can also confirm the Team WILL be keeping their clothes on!! CVSRT would like to take this opportunity to thank Tony (Hanners) Hanranhan, our main photographer on this project, who volunteered his…

Calder Valley Search & Rescue Team is very proud to announce that we have been selected to be Sainsbury's Halifax ‘Charity of the Year’ and receive a year’s worth of support through fundraising and awareness. Sainsbury's ‘Local Charity’ Scheme is now in its 6th year, and has raised over £6million to support local charities since 2009. Halifax Store Manager, Simon Noble said: “We’ve had a great response this year from both customers and colleagues alike, who were asked to vote in-store and online for their favourite local charity. Calder Valley Search & Rescue Team proved to be the most popular…

Reek Sunday - Sunday 27th July, 2014 - A Probies Perspective “It’ll be a real eye opener” they said…Well, I have never seen anything that could have prepared me for what I saw on a cold dark morning on the west coast of Ireland.  Normally shrouded in mist and blasted by the Atlantic, Ireland’s “holy mountain”, Croagh Patrick isn’t a pretty thing to look at nor is it a particularly pleasant climb, but that wasn’t going to stop 20,000 people pilgrimage up it from midnight on Sunday 27th July, 2014.  In attendance we had three of the ‘CVSRT Probies’ intake;…

Calder Valley Search & Rescue Team have once again been working hard on behalf of other agencies to clean up some of our beautiful countryside. Yorkshire Water and Calderdale Council requested our assistance and technical expertise to remove an illegal deposit of tyres and other rubbish, which had been tipped and were blighting our moorland. Initial estimates of 80 to 100 tyres were soon surpassed as the team set to work. An eventual haul of over 200 tyres and a van full of other debris was soon retrieved. It was a filthy job, with the dreaded midge ever present but…

Calder Valley Search & Rescue Team is absolutely delighted to announce the launch of a new fundraising campaign by the award winning Spanish Tapas restaurant, El Gato Negro Tapas based in Ripponden. The initiative aims to raise awareness and much needed funding for the team. The campaign, which launched this week encourages an optional donation from all diners and will help the team to continue to provide the essential life-saving emergency services to the local community and visitors whilst out and about in our operational area. Headed up by chef and proprietor Simon Shaw, El Gato Negro is an award-winning…

Pictured: Team Leader Les Wilson presents Mick and Hilary Newsome with their 25 Years' Long Service Awards. As some of you may know, CVSRT have been saving lives in wild and remote places since 1966…and whilst Mick & Hilary Newsome haven’t been team members for so long, it still seems fitting to mark their 25 years’ service with an award. Husband and wife team, Mick and Hilary received the 25 years Long Service Award at a recent team business meeting. When asked how things had changed over the years, they reflected with fondness how they got involved with CVSRT and…

It was a case of double delight for members of the team as we were commended and given a cheque by the West Yorkshire Police.  Pictured left to right - Team members John, Ann, Pete, Les & Bryan attended the annual Calderdale Police Awards to accept the District Commander’s Commendation for the life-saving voluntary work carried out during last year’s snow storms. And, just as important for the teams’ volunteers the police presented team members with a cheque for £2,000 which will help significantly with the annual £35,000 running costs. Team leader Les Wilson said: “The award makes us feel…

Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team are currently seeking to enlist the help of more 'active' supporters to assist the team. We are looking for people who have some time to spare to provide active support to the team with the various demands including: fundraising, maintenance, assisting with training and general practical support - people who can be our ambassadors at the many local community events we are requested to attend and support each year. If you are interested and think this may be for you, please visit our supporters page and get in touch. We are organising an open…

A new Team Leader for Calder Valley Search & Rescue Team. After 5 years as Team Leader of Calder Valley Search & Rescue Team, Al Day (pictured right) is handing over the reins and responsibility for the team to his deputy, Les Wilson. Al said, “When I moved to the Calder Valley team in 1999 from Oldham Mountain Rescue Team, CVSRT were responding to around 20 incidents per year and operated two response vehicles from the newly built Mytholmroyd base. Fifteen years later, the team has undergone a dramatic transformation; responding to over four times as many incidents with 4…