- The Ochils Mountain Rescue Team (OMRT), based near Grangemouth, has become the latest local charity in the Fife, Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire districts to benefit from a Community Fund established by INEOS.
- Over £15,000 donated by INEOS has enabled OMRT to update their technical clothing that is an essential part of maintaining their ability to provide an appropriate response in the hills.
- Simon Randfield, Deputy Team Leader at OMRT, says: “The grant we have received from the INEOS Community Fund is vital and will help us to continue our operations in Central Scotland and beyond, assisting those in need and encouraging safe practices in the hills. Specifically, the donation has been used for vital new technical clothing, so that we can continue to provide the best support, whilst ensuring our team stay safe.”
The Ochils Mountain Rescue Team that helps keep the local community safe in the Scottish Mountains has received over £15,000 from the INEOS Community Fund to assist their vital work.
From their base at Fishcross, near Alloa, the OMRT are a group of volunteers whose purpose is to locate and recover people who have found themselves in difficulties in the outdoors. They are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in any weather conditions, to provide such support. Since the pandemic there has been a 50% increase in call-outs. They use specialist helicopters and search dogs when appropriate. The OMRT also deliver workshops on mountain safety in the local area.
In support of their essential and life-saving work, the OMRT applied for and recently received a donation from the INEOS Community Fund to kit out the team in waterproof technical clothing manufactured by Páramo, as this is an essential part of maintaining their ability to provide an appropriate response in the hills. The Scottish Mountains are well-known for their potentially treacherous weather conditions and it can take a long time to locate lost climbers so mountain rescuers have to be able to rely on their clothing to keep them safe, warm and dry.
The £1m INEOS Community Fund was established by INEOS Chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe in March 2020 to support the local communities around INEOS’ 194 sites, initially to deal with and recover from the social challenges caused by the pandemic. The Fund delivered 159 lifeline grants through 2020 and now continues to support local communities in 2022 and beyond.
Simon Randfield, Deputy Team Leader at Ochils Mountain Rescue Team, said: “Our purpose is to save lives, which we seek to achieve by assisting the Police, emergency services and other agencies in search and rescue of missing persons primarily in Central Scotland and by encouraging safe practices in the hills.
“Each of our team members requires a helmet, climbing harness, waterproofs, amongst other essential clothing and equipment, to carry out lifesaving work. We are grateful for this contribution to fund our new technical clothing, helping us to achieve our purpose.”
The charity has been supported by INEOS’ Grangemouth site. Stuart Collings, CEO INEOS Chemicals Grangemouth, said: “INEOS has recognised the important role of the OMRT in the local community close to our manufacturing operations in Grangemouth and we are proud to help them during their time of need to keep people safe whilst enjoying the wonderful landscapes right on our doorstep.”
ENDS.
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About INEOS
INEOS is a global manufacturing company making the raw materials and energy used for everyday life. Its products make an indispensable contribution to society by providing the most sustainable options for a wide range of societal needs. For example, preservation of food and clean water; construction of wind turbines, solar panels, and other renewable technologies; for construction of lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles and aircraft; for medical devices and applications; for clothing and apparel; and for insulation and other industrial and home applications.
INEOS businesses have put in place the plans and actions needed to ensure that they lead the transition to a net zero economy by no later than 2050, whilst remaining profitable, and staying ahead of evolving regulations and legislation. As part of its greenhouse gas emission reduction strategy, there is widespread goal to move to a more circular economy, in which materials are re-used to their maximum extent.
About the INEOS Community Fund
In 2019, determined to do our bit to support the local communities around our sites to deal with and recover from the social challenges caused by the pandemic, we created a £1m Community Fund. Our employees helped us identify and support local organisations most in need in their communities, and we delivered 159 lifeline grants through 2020, supporting organisations ranging from food banks, mental health services, disability care, education, cancer care, childcare, domestic violence, and hospices. The initiative continues.
About INEOS Grangemouth
The INEOS Grangemouth site comprises three highly integrated businesses, INEOS O&P UK, INEOS FPS and Petroineos.
INEOS Olefins & Polymers (UK) Europe operates the petrochemical plants at Grangemouth. Its finished products of ethylene, propylene, polyethylene, polypropylene and ethanol are used as the building blocks in a multitude of sectors, in the manufacture of everyday household essentials - being transformed into bottles, cabling and insulation, food packaging as well as being extensively used in the pharmaceutical industry.
The Forties Pipeline System is a 100% INEOS-owned integrated oil and gas liquid transportation and processing system and is the largest pipeline system in the UK North Sea. The Forties Pipeline System is a critical Central North Sea transport infrastructure system and in 2020 transported over 30% of the UK’s total oil production from the UKCS to the mainland.
The Petroineos Refinery in Grangemouth is Scotland’s only crude oil refinery, processing 150,000 barrels of oil per day. It produces the bulk of fuels in Scotland, with markets in Northern England and Northern Ireland.
About Páramo
Páramo offers high performance, sustainable outdoor clothing with superior comfort and moisture management for a wide range of outdoor activities. The company was launched in 1992 by Nick Brown, founder of Nikwax® waterproofing. Páramo is the clothing of choice for Mountain Rescue teams and expeditionary workforces such as the British Antarctic Survey. Páramo was the first outdoor company to join the Greenpeace Detox commitment in 2016, eliminating PFC- treatments from the entire product range. Páramo has picked up numerous awards for its sustainability and ethics and has a clear vision to continue its positive impact on people and the planet. For the full report, please visit our URL: https://www.paramo-clothing.com/en-gb/ourethics/sustainability.php
Samantha Theron – Páramo Marketing; Samantha.Theron@paramo.co.uk
Jo Lowe - Spring PR; jo@springpr.com; 07788811192