VIDEO: New mountain rescue base opens in Burnley

Scores of visitors turned out to celebrate the opening of the base, which is located in Farrington Court, enjoying a series of demonstrations carried out throughout the day.

Former team leaders Dave Barrington and Peter Durst were given the honour of officially opening the site and current operational team leader Pete Goble said it was a proud day.

“This is the culmination of a lot of hard work. The community has really gotten behind us and it’s great to see. Historically, we have had our base in Haslingden but you can only park one vehicle there, two and they’re touching the walls.

“Our control vehicle costs £100,000 and has been kept on Haslingden Police Station. Being able to keep it here will add another 10 years onto its life.”

Rossendale and Pendle Mountain Rescue Team is a registered charity made up entirely of volunteers covering 350 square miles.

The new base, which cost in the region of £125,000 and took 30 years to save for, will give the team a secure environment to house equipment and vehicles, provide a larger training area and will improve response times to the northern part of their operating area.

“The base will pay for itself in 10 years but most importantly it means we have a better chance of hitting incidents quicker,” added Mr Goble. “For instance, I live in Nelson. So if there was a job on Pendle Hill I was having to go to all the way to Haslingden to pick up the vehicle and then come back to Nelson.

“We have got good equipment but we can always get better and so the fund-raising or the need for donations never stops. Neither does the need for volunteers. We currently have 37 operational volunteers and 15 support group workers but we are always looking for more.”

For more information on the team visit www.rpmrt.org.uk.