MAY 2019: North West Lions Clubs help fund water incident trailers After the Storm Desmond floods of 2015, which badly affected communities in the north west of England, the Lions Clubs North West District offered to support mountain rescue teams in both Lancashire and Cumbria. The result was two identical, fully-stocked water incident trailers, each costing £30,000. The trailers, were immediately put to use for training purposes, ready for major flooding responses when they arise. Located centrally, they are available to all the teams. In May 2019, a ‘project completion’ event on the River Leven at Newby Bridge was attended by senior representatives of the Lions North West District and joint teams of swiftwater rescue technicians from Cockermouth, Langdale Ambleside, Kendal and Bowland Pennine.
Photo: LDSAMRA.
Team members battled through the night along with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, after villages were cut off at the height of the flash flood and the main road from Richmond was washed away and a bridge collapsed on Grinton Moor. MREW ambassador Alan Hinkes (a North Yorkshireman himself) returned two days later with team members to help coordinate the recovery, checking properties in the area, distributing food parcels and other essentials, and to document the damage. ‘This was a classic example,’ says Alan, ‘of how mountain rescue teams help not just in acute situations — such as during the storm or on a rescue in the fells — but also in a more soft manner, helping a supporting the local community.’ JULY 2019: Swaledale team members helped with the clean-up after flash floods in North Yorkshire
Opposite page, centre: Severn Area Rescue Association team members help deal with flooding in South Wales following Storm Dennis © SARA. Top inset: Holme Valley team members supporting Calder Valley SRT in Mytholmroyd after Storm Ciara © Pete Farnell. Bottom inset: Upper Wharfedale team swiftwater unit at Pately Bridge ©UWFRA. Top and centre: Keswick team members dealing with the early morning evacuation of a caravan park after Storm Ciara © Keswick MRT. Above: Ogwen Valley team members support flood operations in Llanwrst after Storm Ciara © OVMRO.
Photos: Alan Hinkes.
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