Sellafield Ltd

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We have a long history of supporting our local communities. Working with the NDA our socio-economic plans encourage employee involvement in local activities, charitable donation schemes and inward investment.

Thursday 10th January 2008

Sellafield employee takes up mountain rescue role in Coronation Street

Sellafield worker Alan Prescott has expanded his career to include acting after appearing in ITV 1’s Coronation Street during the filming of a recent storyline set in the Lake District.

Alan, who works within Sellafield Ltd’s Nuclear Decommissioning and Major Project Group as Head of Delivery for the Separation Air Ventilation Project, is also a member of Keswick Mountain Rescue Team.

When the call came back in October, Alan and 13 other members of the team were more than happy to provide assistance to the Coronation Street crew as they planned a storyline that followed characters Liam and Maria on a romantic break in the Lake District, fell walking.

Alan, the Mountain Rescue team and the RAF spent four and half days at Honister filming with the crew for three episodes which aired on Friday 4, Sunday 6 and Monday 7 January.

“We were approached by ITV to get involved so that we could provide the crew and equipment as well as the technical support to ensure the events were portrayed as realistically as possible” he said.

However Alan’s role didn’t stop there. After the character of Liam took a 200 ft tumble down the side of a fell, the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team and the RAF where then called upon to help find and recover him.

“I managed to get myself a staring role in the actual episode after it was decided that a stunt double was needed for the character of Liam in the scene where they find him and he gets air-lifted into the helicopter.

“I wouldn’t say I volunteered myself as such - It was more a case of I was the one who had the most hair and therefore most resembled Liam! It was all good fun and I was more than willing to step in,” Alan added.

On a more serious note, Alan said he was pleased that the safety message was going out to viewers across the country.

“This storyline has raised some important issues around fell walking and has shown how important it is to be prepared; from having the right gear to planning where you are going and checking the weather conditions before you set off.

“We’ve all had fun taking part in this, and I suppose you could say we’ve had our ‘15 minutes of fame’, but I’d also like to think that this has given recognition to the important job that all Mountain Rescue Teams and indeed the RAF do, and the challenges that we face.”