THE snowfall that hit the district over the festive period has served as a reminder of the perils that bad weather can bring.

And with the weather likely to take another turn for the worse over coming weeks, a group of good samaritans are well prepared to assist in transporting people in delivering essential healthcare to those who need it, and helping the emergency services respond in extreme situations, such as heavy snow.

The West Yorkshire 4x4 Volunteers are a group of 4x4 enthusiasts from around the region who decided to offer their skills and expertise honed from off-roading in their own vehicles to medical staff needing to get to their workplaces and patients in extreme weather conditions.

Established three years ago, the Cleckheaton-based team comprises 110 members but, through increasing demand after securing more contracts to work with the NHS in West Yorkshire on its winter resilience policy, the team is hoping to expand its team of volunteers.

Andy Walker, group chairman of the West Yorkshire 4x4 volunteers, explains that the group provides a transport and logistics service, helping medical staff to get to their workplaces and continue doing their job.

"We have 110 members at the moment, people with 4x4 vehicles but with the kind of work we have got, and people who are pending as well, we don't want to be in a position where we are taking on too much work," says Andy.

While the volunteers can cope with what they have currently taken on, they are keen to extend the service to others who are keen to get them on board, and are now appealing for more volunteers with 4x4 vehicles to join them.

Andy says the vehicles can be any type of 4x4 and he says the owners get benefits too through the training programme provided. "We will show them how to get the best out of it. A lot of people may buy a Land Rover and have no idea what to do with it or have the confidence to challenge it and make sure it will go where they will want it to go," he adds.

As well as assisting medical staff to get to work, the team, which is based in Moorend, Cleckheaton, is also on hand to help other agencies dealing with emergency situations and charities such as the Red Cross, the Samaritans and the Salvation Army. "We can work with them via the West Yorkshire Resilience Forum," explains Andy.

He recalls that during the last heavy snowfalls the group was called out to help with a change of shift at a care home where staff had been stranded for three days.

"Paul Cartwright, our group treasurer, got the job of going on the first trip. The snow was falling heavily and driving conditions were treacherous, " recalls Andy.

The snow had drifted to four feet deep, forcing Paul to devise an action plan. "He had to find an alternative route, but made the effort and ensured that new staff were taken in and the previously stranded staff got home for a well deserved rest with their families," says Andy.

He also recalls being called into action in a severe snowfall when he had to travel in four inches of snow to transport a doctor out to a care home. "I have been doing off-road driving for 20-odd years in various makes of 4x4s so all my skills are through experience," says Andy.

He says that when snow, floods or ice are forecast, the organisations the 4X4 group has working agreements with put them on stand by. Planning is put in place to allocate drivers to the agencies and distribute the work.

"A lot of agencies and businesses that approach us tell us that they were never aware that anyone offered such a service as ours, and certainly not on a voluntary basis," says Andy.

Volunteers offer their time and vehicles for free and any expenses they receive cover fuel costs. And their role doesn't end when the winters stops.

"Throughout the rest of the year it is fundraising, raising the group's profile and trying to get new members by going to shows and events," says Andy. "For me it is something I can do, that needs doing. Somebody has to do it and if I can organise things it is that sort of 'care and can do' type attitude which me and the others have got. By doing this we are providing an essential service."

* The group meets on the second Saturday of each month. For more information visit wy4x4vol.org or call 07809 205616.