Supporters

We are grateful for the Support from the following organisations

RAYNET-UK is the national voluntary communications service provided by licensed Radio Amateurs.

All communications between Race Control in Horton-in-Ribblesdale and checkpoints, including the summits of Penyghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, will be engineered and provided by RAYNET operators.

More than 30 members from RAYNET Groups across the North of England and further afield will update Race Control on the progress of competitors and provide safety information from remote locations to alert officials to any potential problems.

But this is just a training exercise for RAYNET, which was formed in 1953 after the East Coast flood disaster. RAYNET’s prime role is to provide back-up communications for the Police, Fire and Ambulance services and others on a Government approved list when their radio systems overload or fail.

Since 1953, RAYNET has been involved in many national emergencies, including the Lockerbie disaster, where we provided 200 radio operators each day for the first 10 days. Fortunately, such emergencies are comparatively rare, so RAYNET trains by operating at sporting and charitable events, particularly in areas where cellphone cover is poor.

These include: The Three Peaks Race, the Lyke Wake Race and Etape-du-Dales 112-mile cycling sportif and Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge events for major charities. Members from North and West Yorkshire and Cleveland are involved in around 20 events each year.

In 2014 RAYNET provided an emergency radio network covering 2,000 square miles for the Tour de France and in 2019 we operated for North Yorkshire County Council on the UCI World Road Cycling Championships.  

Brian Dooks

RAYNET North Yorkshire County Co-ordinator

Mike Higlett

RAYNET Nidderdale Group Controller

The Cave Rescue Organisation

Safety cover at the Three Peaks Race is provided by the Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO) which has members on immediate standby to respond to incidents. The CRO provides mountain and cave rescue across the Three Peaks area of the Yorkshire Dales as well as west into Lancashire and Cumbria and east to Malham and Gordale.  

 Founded in 1935, the CRO has about 80 volunteer members, of whom 60 are operational. They operate 24/7 for 365 days a year in response to 999 calls made to the police, performing not only mountain, cave and fast water rescue, but also searches for missing persons and other tasks in remote areas or in hostile conditions. By the end of 2020, the CRO had attended 3,208 incidents, including 795 underground, 1,706 mountain, fell, climbing, in water and ‘others’ 487 animal rescues (326 of which were from caves and potholes). During this period, 4,520 people, aged between five months and 87 years, were assisted. 

CRO has its headquarters at Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales. The organisation’s annual running costs vary, but are usually at least £40,000, excluding vehicle replacement and capital costs such as ‘going digital’ with radio equipment. CRO is a registered charity, depending mainly on donations from the public for its income. Information about CRO, including safety advice and how to enter the CRO Ingleborough Challenge event (on Saturday 21st May 2022), are here: https://cro.org.uk/ and in the annual incident report Rescue 2021 available from the CRO Land Rover on the pavilion car park. 

Donations may be made online at: http://www.justgiving.com/caverescue/raisemoney/ or via the QR code on the Land Rover. 

BROADRAKE BUNKBARN WORKSHOPS

Broadrake Bunkbarn is situated at the foot of Whernside in the heart of Yorkshire’s famous Three Peaks area and is part of the scattered hamlet of Chapel-le-Dale. It is in a quiet location about ¾ mile off the B6255 Ingleton to Hawes road with views in front to Ribblehead Viaduct and Ingleborough and Park Fell with views to the rear of Whernside. The bunkbarn is an old agricultural building attached to the main farmhouse. It has been renovated to form group accommodation sleeping 20 in 5 rooms all on the ground floor with communal space on the first floor.

The surrounding area is ideal for walkers, mountain bikers and cavers and even paragliders. It is fascinating for both geologists and naturalists with the Ingleborough National Nature Reserve just across the valley. In the field behind the buildings we have planted young native trees, an area of upland hay meadow undergoing restoration and in n 2015 we added a wildlife pond to increase biodiversity. The areas immediately behind the buildings have remnants of limestone scar with large rock outcrops hosting diverse plant life.

Contact us via our website at http://broadrake.co.uk/