Cliff Rescue Team receives new equipment donation

Tuesday 12 February 2019

The Guernsey Mountaineering Club has donated thousands of pounds’ worth of equipment to the island’s all volunteer Cliff Rescue Team.

The donation has been made because of the work the CRT do to look after all islanders, particularly those who enjoy activities around the cliffs like the Mountaineering Club.

Equipment donated includes Mobile fall arrester devices, single adjustable progression lanyards, auto-locking carabineers, lanyards with energy absorber for the ASAP mobile fall arrester, helmets and harnesses.

Guernsey Mountaineering Club president Steve Le Feuvre said: "The Guernsey Mountaineering Club appreciates the service provided by the Cliff Rescue Team and are aware of the harsh environment they and their equipment operate in. Given that the team relies on volunteers and public donations we were proud to assist in the purchase of new equipment."

The Cliff Rescue Team are trained in techniques needed for rescuing people and animals from the island’s cliff faces, or sheer rock walls of inland water-filled quarries. Training is performed on cliffs in any conditions, and previous rescue sites are also used.

It was adopted as an additional area of rescue overseen by the Guernsey Fire & Rescue Service at the end of 2017.  It is operated solely by volunteers and is funded purely by donations.

GFRS Station Officer of Operations, Gary Van Der Linden, said: “this extremely kind donation provides an across-the-board enhancement of the Cliff Rescue Team. The vital work this voluntary team does has literally saved lives, and relies on public donations to ensure it has the latest and most advanced kit available to perform this often dangerous rescues.”

The total price of the kit donated was £1,554 but a discount by the shop - technicaloutdoorsolutions.co.uk- was made to further help. 

Owner Craig Palmer said: “Being a small business we like to support causes which mean a lot to us when we can. The owner of Technical Outdoor Solutions and his family live on Guernsey, so supporting the Cliff Rescue Team was something we definitely wanted to help with. They make such an impact to the local area and do a great job.”

Pictured top: Some of the kit donated to the Team.