5 January 2013 Last updated at 11:12 ET

Holme Valley Mountain Rescue team appeals for HQ cash

A mountain rescue team in West Yorkshire has said it "urgently" needs funding to build a new headquarters as its present-day home faces closure.

Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team's current base at Marsden fire station is earmarked to shut as part of West Yorkshire Fire Service cutbacks.

Permission for a new HQ in Meltham was secured in 2012, a team spokesman said.

However, money was now needed to build the base so the team could continue to provide "essential" services, he said.

'Unpaid volunteers'

The Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team, which is entirely publicly funded, covers the southern half of West Yorkshire.

Averaging 18 to 20 incidents a year, its members are on call 24 hours a day to respond to incidents on nearby moors and upland areas.

Team spokesman Owen Phillips said a sponsored climbing event would be held later in January to help raise funds for the new base.

"We are hoping local climbers can come together and help us out a little bit by participating in the sponsored climb and helping to secure our future in the area," he said.