Working together with Mountain Rescue England and Wales, North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) has signed a 3-year partnership with leading outdoor brand Helly Hansen.
At North of Tyne MRT, we deliver essential search and rescue cover for the whole of the Northumbria Police area. The team is made up entirely of professional and skilled volunteers and is a charity, reliant upon kind donations and grant funding to remain operational. The team responds to callouts 24/7, 365 days a year.
Helly Hansen and ourselves have one common goal: to save lives in the mountains. In support of this goal, Helly Hansen has developed a bespoke best-in-class Mountain Rescue Responder Uniform with the aim of protecting the Mountain Rescue volunteers against the UK’s unique temperate weather conditions and varied landscapes. In addition, Helly Hansen will be working with the team and its volunteers to educate outdoor enthusiasts on mountain safety.
We tackle tough landscapes and experience the diverse changeable UK weather that can test even the most resilient of volunteers. Over the past year the team has vigorously tested product from Helly Hansen’s Mountain Collection and provided valuable first-hand feedback. These insights have helped the brand to develop the Mountain Rescue Responder Uniform.
The full 3-layer system is designed to allow volunteers to feel safe and comfortable in their kit, so they can concentrate on their role saving lives in the mountains 365 days a year. The team will be instrumental in providing further feedback and insights to evolve Helly Hansen’s Mountain Rescue Collections over the 3-year partnership.
Helena Sansum, Team Secretary at North of Tyne MRT, said, “We’re really excited about the partnership with Helly Hansen, having experienced the quality of the kit when testing the Mountain range. Our volunteers operate in all conditions and having the right kit means they can focus on the job in hand – helping those in need.”
Piers Barnes, Helly Hansen UK & IRL General Manager, said, “As a brand that defines itself through its work with professionals for over 140 years, Helly Hansen has a tremendous amount of respect for mountain rescue teams and their volunteers. We know that it is trust that makes saving lives possible, trust in your team, your environment and in your kit. We are proud to be part of that and to be supporting those who willingly risk their own lives to help others.”
We join Helly Hansen’s 55,000 global professionals, from Olympian athletes to search and rescue professionals such as the RNLI and Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue in Ireland. Watch this space for announcements of the arrival of the kit – due very soon!
For more information about Helly Hansen and its partnerships, please visit: www.hellyhansen.com.