Cleveland Cable Ltd and Hardmoors ‘kick start’ our Clothing Project

We’ve already had four call-outs so far in May – three of them coming in the space of just 24-hours over the last weekend. That brings us to 28 call-outs to date this year plus 9 other incidents where the Team has undertaken work on behalf of the emergency services and other agencies. It’s looking like a busy year for our volunteers!

Due to COVID-19 each call-out now requires every Team member to wear full PPE, including a Team jacket, regardless of weather conditions. This is likely to continue for the foreseeable future and as the weather warms up (hopefully!) it makes our Search & Rescue work in those conditions that bit more difficult.

Added to that, our members are advised to decontaminate every piece of outer clothing after each call-out and to regularly re-proof the waterproof items which is taking a toll on our existing waterproof clothing by increasing the wear, especially on the already ageing jackets. They will need to be replaced before we get to next winter as we encounter the worst of what the weather can throw at us.

To cover the cost of providing each Search & Rescue Team member with a waterproof shell jacket and trousers, enabling them to operate in all possible conditions, the Team recently launched a £20,000 project to fund their replacement. We currently have a range of jackets and trousers from five different manufacturers at our Base for evaluation by Team members.

We recently invited local companies to contribute to this project and we are pleased to announce that Cleveland Cable Company Ltd are the first to contribute to the project by donating £500 – many, many thanks to them! It’s really great that a company so important to the local economy and with an international reach is also helping a local charity in this way.

Also, long-term supporters of the Team – the Hardmoors Race Series – have agreed that regular donations, made by their runners when entering for races, will be contributed to the project funding. They have already started by donating £97.76p from the recent Hardmoors 15 & 30 races and the Wainstones races. So many thanks also to Jon & Shirley from Hardmoors and all of the race series competitors.

If you are part of a business or organisation (or know of one) that may like to contribute to this year’s waterproof clothing project or would like any further information about it, then please get in touch with the Team’s Fundraising Officer Claire Starkey via: cstarkey@clevelandmrt.org.uk.