Rescuers and national park staff at one of the gates, with Roseberry Topping in the distance. Photo: Martin Codd/Cleveland MRT
A rescue team will be able to reach one of its incident hotspots more easily after it teamed up with a national park to create a route for its vehicles.
Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team is called out to the area around Roseberry Topping about a dozen times a year.
But it faced a long journey around the 320m (1,050ft) hill if it received wrong information about a casualty’s location or if it was called to two incidents simultaneously.
Normally the rescue team accesses these areas via a farm track to the south of Roseberry Topping or by entering Guisborough Forest at Hutton Village but could not drive between the two without a lengthy detour.
The rescuers approached North York Moors National Park Authority to see if access for emergency vehicles could be created on the bridleway between Guisborough Forest and Roseberry Moor. Permission was given by landowners including the Forestry Commission and National Trust for the work to take place and Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council funded an upgrade of the bridleway surface to accommodate a vehicle.
The authority donated new gates – two larger gates for emergency vehicle access and two smaller side gates for use by walkers, cyclists and horse riders – which were installed at each end of the bridleway by its northern team of apprentices.
Martin Codd from Cleveland MRT said having access between the two locations will bring great benefits.
He said: “Sometimes we don’t have a precise location for a casualty or on busy days, could receive consecutive callouts in these two areas. Having to retrace our steps and go a long way round on public roads through Great Ayton, Newton under Roseberry and Guisborough wastes time and means a significant delay in getting to the casualty.
“Time is of the essence in these situations and can mean the difference between life and death.”
Andrew Holtby, apprentice supervisor for NYMNPA, said: “The mountain rescue teams that cover the North York Moors do an amazing job, heading out in all conditions and at any time of the day and night to help those in trouble.
“We and the other landowners involved were only too happy to help with providing better access to the popular areas of Roseberry Topping and Guisborough Forest.”
Mr Codd added: “Cleveland MRT would like to thank the NYMNPA for their excellent efforts and the spirit of mutual co-operation that has prevailed in developing this emergency corridor for the benefit of the public who find themselves in difficulties on the hill.”
Cleveland MRT was formed in 1965 and operates mainly in the northern area of the North York Moors National Park and is called out to more than 40 incidents every year from lost walkers to people with medical condition problems or injuries.
