Proud sponsors of South Wales Cave Rescue Team
Having seen the recent media coverage of the dramatic 3 day cave rescue in Ogof Ffynnon Ddu we reached out to the South Wales Cave Rescue Team to offer our help. 
In conjunction with the team at Makita UK, Data are proud to donate power tools and accessories to aid them in future rescue operations.
Nick Dando - Sales Director presents the team with Makita products outside our Cardiff store.
Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales is home to some of the most important cave systems in all of Europe. Of course, where there are caves, there is always an attractive urge for thrill-seekers from all over the world to delve into the depths of the earth and explore! Unfortunately, as with any activity that involves ascending into the earth, there is always a tremendous risk. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how much experience or safety equipment you have – accidents happen. This is precisely what happened to George Linnane from Bristol at the beginning of November 2021. George was on a normal trip doing what he loves, caving in the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system near Ystradgynlais.
The Descent
Shortly into his caving adventure he slipped and fell a considerable distance of 50-feet, breaking his jaw, collarbone, and his leg! Don’t worry – George is safe, healthy, and well on the road to recovery, so this story does have a happy ending! George was clearly in no position to climb his way out and found himself stuck inside the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system for over 50-hours in desperate need of assistance. Fortunately for George, the South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team(SMWCRT) were soon able to make their way to the site and offer their assistance. That said, the rescue attempt wasn’t without its challenges. It was approximately 53-hours before the SMWCRT were successfully able to lift him out and get him to safety. Having heard about the tragic accident and ongoing rescue attempt, the team at Data Powertools wanted to offer our assistance in any way we could! So, we did what we do best and donated a selection of power tools to help the South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team help George out and get him safely to the nearest hospital for medical aid!
Here’s a List of What We Happily Donated to The South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team:
- 2 x rigging drills - DHR242Z 18V ROTARY HAMMER SDS+
- 1 x beefier drill for longer/fatter shot holes & occasional chiselling - DHR263ZJ Twin 18V Rotary Hammer
- 1 x mini-grinder with paddle-switch for cutting scaffolding - DGA467Z 18V Angle Grinder 115mm BL LXT
- 10 x 5AH batteries
- 2 x double chargers
But, don’t go getting any ideas! As generous as this donation was – throwing yourself down a cave won’t get you any free tools from us. If you want to get your hands on some quality power tools, you’ll have to head over to our website and do it the old fashioned way!
A Big Thank You to The South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team
We have immense respect for the South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team and were delighted to further support their cause. They have saved many lives over the years since their inception in 1946 and hope that our donation will further help the cause for many years to come! Here’s what the SMWCRT had to say about our donation: “A massive THANK YOU goes out to Makita UK and Data Powertools Ltd for a hugely generous donation to South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team. After seeing coverage of our recent three-day rescue in the news, they reached out to the Team & offered to help support the work we do with. As a result, the Team are now the proud owners of some very shiny power tools that are, in the words of one of the rescuers, “a truly lifesaving donation that will revolutionise how we extract casualties to the surface". We use hammer drills to install bolts to help us haul stretchers up through a cave and for breaking rock when we have to widen a passage to allow a stretcher to fit through. We often have to widen passages when rescuing dogs that have explored a bit too far underground and become trapped. Thank you!”
To read more about the incredible rescue of George and how these tools will be put to good use please see the links below:
https://news.sky.com/story/brecon-beacons-major-operation-launched-to-rescue-injured-man-trapped-in-cave-system-for-two-days-12463908
https://smwcrt.org/j32/index.php/newsmainmenu/356-data-power-tools-ltd-donate-makita-drills-to-smwcrt
You can view the whole story here on the ITV website.
