Cricket Club Rallies Community Behind Moorland Firefighters
Micklehurst Cricket Club’s home ground, Richmond Hill, is situated between Dove Stone Reservoir and Tintwistle, where two major wildfires are raging across the landscape. Micklehurst CC has turned its attention away from scoring centuries and taking five-fors to help fund and support the crews battling the nearby blazes.
Some members of the club are directly involved in fighting the fires, while others have coordinated a community-wide effort to supply Peak District Moorland Group members with food and personal protective equipment (PPE). Three club members have joined the operation, making the response a deeply personal affair for Micklehurst CC.
Food and hydration deliveries have continued, while disposable and reusable breathing protection, alongside other forms of PPE, has also been provided. This equipment has proved invaluable, helping those tackling the fires limit their exposure to harmful smoke.
Firefighters and gamekeepers have divided their work into day and night shifts, making the provision of food and supplies an around-the-clock operation. Club members have coordinated regular deliveries to ensure exhausted crews remain supported.
Gary Kippax has been at the forefront of the initiative. He explained that Micklehurst CC is ideally situated to store donations and said the club had been “completely overwhelmed” by the number of people arriving to help.
Mr Kippax described the conditions faced by crews as “apocalyptic”, with some working shifts of more than 10 hours. He also emphasised the extraordinary commitment of local gamekeepers, who are not being paid for the additional hours they are putting in.
“One of the lads started up there on Sunday and didn’t go home until Wednesday,” he said.
Despite the community’s remarkable generosity, frustration remains over how the Dove Stone fire began. Had fireworks not been ignited, the scale of the emergency response could have been considerably smaller.
One of the fundraiser’s greatest achievements has been securing money for breathing protection. Within three hours, the fundraising target had been reached and the necessary PPE ordered.
The major wildfire continues to destroy moorland around Mossley. Although the situation could potentially have been avoided, the remarkable response from Micklehurst Cricket Club and the surrounding community demonstrates the strength of moorland communities when they come together.
The Peak District gamekeeper’s courage and commitment has earned them enormous respect from the local people witnessing their efforts firsthand.