A WARM welcome was given to the many interested people who dropped in on the newly extended headquarters of the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association.

The fell rescue association was celebrating the completion of its recently completed £300,000 extension to its premises - affectionately called 'The Hut' in Hebden Road, Grassington.

And on Saturday, it opened its doors to let people come in and see some of the specialist equipment it uses in rescue operations and to give them an insight into the vital work it carries out.

The rescue association is a charity which receives no funding from central government. It is run entirely by more than 60 well trained and well equipped volunteer cavers, mountaineers and climbers, and is on call 365 days a year.

Members can live in the Dales or can travel from as far away as Leeds or Bradford, and are prepared to respond to a call out at any time of the day or night, in the worst of weather conditions.

So far this year, the team has responded to ten call outs, the last on the open day itself, when it was called out to assist a young family of walkers who had got lost in bad weather on Great Whernside.

A team spokesperson said: "While the team were being deployed the police contacted the family by mobile phone and confirmed their location was at the summit. They were told to stay put and await assistance. We soon located them and after warming them we escorted them back to our Land Rovers and transported back to Kettlewell."

UWFRA operates in Wharfedale, Nidderdale, Littondale and Mid-Airedale alongwith the Clapham based Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO) which operates mainly around the area of the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

UWFRA's annual running costs are in the region of more than £40,000 per year, with both organisations relying on public donations and gifts to keep going.

On Saturday, June 24 the Wharfedale Three Peaks Challenge will raise money for UWFRA. To find out more, visit its website uwfra.org.uk