Sheffield Steelers help with salvage operation in flood-hit Doncaster village

The players met with firemen from the T2T organisation in London to remove flood-damaged items from homes and businesses in the devastated village of Fishlake, in Doncaster, on Wednesday, November 20.

T2T, also known as Tunnel to Towers, is a not-for-profit organisation made up of retired and still serving Fire service personnel. They offer assistance at major incidents and is well-placed to help in the recovery phase due to the experience of its members' who have gained skilled with the Fire and Rescue services.

Senior fire chief Steve James, who runs the organisation, is a former ice hockey player at Streatham and decided to invite the Steelers as part of the community effort.

Speaking in Fishlake, he said: “We’ve brought the Steelers out into the community. Bless their hearts they’ve been inside people's houses, people that have been absolutely decimated from the floods in Fishlake.

“I’ve got retired firefighters who are actually going to be with these guys and they’re going to look after the boys and toughen them up a bit, get them ready for the rest of the season they’ve got in front of them.”

“They’re going to removing flood-damaged stuff in and out of houses so they’re in a position of trust because they’re going to be going into people houses, they’re actually going to interact with people. We’re going to be moving some walls, some structures – basically some heavy, dirty work.

“These boys have all volunteered and put themselves forward to be part of this community which is absolutely massive. Sport is a big part of the community, they’re supported by the community and they’re coming out to show their support for the community it’s fantastic.”

The Fishlake community is continuing to come to terms with the impact of the devastating floods which first hit the borough on November 7, following a torrential downpour of rain that saw one months’ worth of rain fall in just 24 hours.

Council workers and other agencies have remained in the area to help with the effort and have been carrying out pumping activities in a bid to remove the floodwater.