A BUILDER from Okehampton has been named as one of seven national finalists in the JCB Heroes competition, thanks to his volunteering work with North Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team.

Last month, JCB Workwear launched its Heroes Campaign — a national search to find heroic tradespeople who volunteer their time to help charities, good causes or local community groups.

The winning entry will be recognised for their hard work with a special award and a 12-month clothing sponsorship worth over £500.

Robbie Taylor, 42, has volunteered for North Dartmoor Search and Rescue for over two years, dedicating up to 20 hours each month to help to save people who have found themselves in difficulty on Dartmoor.

He also raised funds for the organisation and has trained as a swift water rescue technician, making him an asset to other teams and organisations, such as the police during flood disasters.

Robbie was selected from hundreds of entries and has been named as one of seven finalists. The winner and two runner ups will be announced by the end of the month.

Robbie said: ‘I enjoy being part of a team and helping other people. When you get to someone who’s vulnerable, they put their lives in your hand. We turn up and take control of a situation and really help people and alleviate their panicking.

‘It is great to see volunteering work recognised by a company such as JCB Workwear and I hope that this campaign will inspire more people to give their time to help others.’

Joanne Dyson, spokesperson for JCB Workwear, said:  ‘We know that tradespeople often volunteer for services such as Mountain Rescue or use their skills to help community groups with costly repairs and maintenance. We wanted to find these unsung heroes, who play such an important role in their community and say thank you!

‘It has been very difficult to whittle the entries down to seven and picking an overall winner will be especially hard as I believe that all seven are heroes. Good luck to Robbie and the other six contestants.’