“Modern day heroes who walk towards harm.” That’s how the dedicated volunteers of the Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team have been described for the vital, lifesaving work they do across some of the most remote parts of the area.

Since 1965, when the team was founded as the Scarborough and District Search and Rescue Team, the group of volunteers have just completed their 50th call-out which also marks their 50th anniversary.

These 21st century superheroes, who can be called out at any time at any hour of the day, battle all kinds of weather from the wind to the snow while navigating the diverse terrains of the North York Moors.

Traditionally the call-outs came in for walkers who were lost or injured on the moors, but over the years these calls have increased. The team, currently made up of about 40 members, have been deployed to water based incidents or to look for vulnerable people who are lost.

They have saved wildlife in remote places, rescued vehicles from steep ground and rushed to the aid of those who are injured from falls from horses, bikes and even Segways.

Training is critical for the volunteers, three of whom are on-call 24 hours-a-day to take a call from the police or the ambulance service.

“We don’t train to get it right, we train so we cannot get it wrong,” said Ian Hugill of the team.

“Training is critical and we strive to make it fun, educational and stretching. There is a strong team spirit and I wish I knew how to bottle it.

“I joined the team 15 years ago and it seems like five minutes. It does take your life over.”

As a registered charity, the team receives no public funding and raises money purely through fundraising and donations and grants alone. The annual running costs of the team, which covers the south and east of the North York Moors National Park, Yorkshire Wolds, Ryedale and the Howardian Hills, is about £30,000.

Ian said that the team is hoping to hit the £50,000 fundraising mark in honour of the milestone anniversary next year with the hope of introducing a mini bus to their vehicles.

He said: “Next year we are looking to fund a mini bus to help us get the team out more quickly so that we can carry more people and more equipment in the same vehicle.”

The rescue team currently has two 4x4 land rovers which double up as ambulances and a Mercedes Sprinter for the control vehicle.

This equipment helps the team to respond to a callout and have member’s en-route to an incident within about 20 minutes of being called.

The team’s 50th callout was to rescue 86-year-old lady who had been walking a dog just south of Aislaby, near Whitby. The lady had fallen and injured her arm, had a potential hip and leg injuries and was unable to walk.

The two and a half hour rescue operation saw team members lift the lady into a vacuum mattress stretcher before being driven back to the road where she was then taken to Scarborough Hospital.

The team take calls from the police as well, who Ian said “really appreciate” the work they do for them. Chief constable Dave Jones of North Yorkshire Police described the team as “modern day heroes who walk towards harm.”

To mark the occasion, the team is giving people the chance to be a hero for the day as well by taking part in an epic 53 mile challenge to raise money for the team.

The Crosses 53 challenge, which ran during the 1970s and 1980s, is a circular route across the North York Moors which can be completed either walking or running on July 4 or 5.

For more information, visit srmrt.org.uk