Wates Giving director Brian Wheelwright

A charity linked to a construction company has boosted a mountain rescue team’s funds.

The £5,000 donation to the Woodhead team in South Yorkshire will help equip them with extra gear, including water rescue equipment.

Wates Giving, the charitable organisation run by the Wates family, owners of construction company the Wates Group, handed the money to Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team. The team is based near Penistone, and mainly operates in the north-east Peak District and surrounding areas of Sheffield and South Yorkshire.

The cash boost will help the team buy much needed extra equipment and specialist water rescue personal protective equipment.

Over the past year they have operated around the country helping in flood-hit areas including York and Manchester.

Wates Group acquired the York-based construction business Shepherd Group Built Environment in October 2015, resulting in strong links with the York community. The business also has links with many towns and cities across the UK, through its construction projects and network of regionally based offices.

Wates Giving director Brian Wheelwright said: “We are delighted to be able to provide much needed funding for this fantastic charity.

“The team has given invaluable support to communities and also over the last year have provided much needed relief to a number of flood hit communities.”

Simon Rippon, director and trustee of the Woodhead Mountain Rescue Trust, said: “We would like to thank Wates Giving for the generous donation to our charity. This money will help to provide much needed equipment to support more people affected by accidents or natural hazards in the future.

“This donation will enable the unit to deploy a further four team members to future local, regional and national flood emergencies and would also extend our general team search capability to safely deploy to find missing persons or drowning victims around the many water margins in our search areas.

“Our floating rescue sled, as seen in media coverage of the York flooding, has a shallow water capacity combined with the ability to access narrow openings. Procurement of this kit would provide a safer and faster search and evacuation platform in both urban and rural environments. The sled can also be deployed for use in swamp and snow environments.”