Welcome to Bolton Mountain Rescue Team
Bolton Mountain Rescue Team is a voluntary search and rescue charity and a member of Mountain Rescue England and Wales that represents 49 teams. Bolton MRT is made up entirely of volunteers who are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
We cover an area of over 800 square kilometres extending from Darwen in the West Pennine Moors to the north to beyond Manchester Airport in the south, and from Wigan to the west to the centre of Manchester in the east.
Bolton Mountain Rescue Team
The chances are you will never need our services. However, since 1968, a great many have. Our callouts are diverse. For example, we help walkers, runners, bikers, climbers and even dogs that have found themselves in a precarious position. We also search for members of the public who are missing outside of urban areas, particularly those classed as vulnerable by the police.
It costs around £50,000 per year to run the team. Securing this amount of money each year is a constant challenge. We rely on the generosity of the public and other organisations who provide us with donations. Visit the donations page to learn more about how you can help raise money for the team.
Latest News
One of our Assistant Team Leaders, Paul, also serves as the Statistics Officer for Mountain Rescue England & Wales.
Recently he helped in the gathering and compilation of data that was used in a very interesting article in The Guardian about social media and inadequate mapping apps (street maps such as Google Maps and Apple Maps) leading to an increase in Mountain Rescue callouts. You can read the article by clicking the link at the bottom of this post.
It’s fantastic that ever more young people are enjoying the outdoors, and if you’re new to outdoor adventures (whatever your age) it’s important to think ‘What do I need to get the most from my day out and get home unscathed?’
Things to consider are:
. Appropriate footwear and clothing - carry waterproofs and warm clothing in your rucksack, even if the weather looks fine;
. have good mapping software on your fully-charged phone (OS, Outdooractive, etc.), and a fully-charged power-bank for emergencies;
. learn to use, and carry, a paper map and compass;
. take food and water sufficient for your day, and some extra in case of emergency;
. carry a head torch with spare batteries (even in summer) in case you end up out longer than expected.
. learn and build the skills before you go - a grade 3 scramble shouldn’t be your first foray into the hills!
For more information, there is a link to our website. www.boltonmrt.org.uk/advice/
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/16/record-high-british-mountain-rescue-callouts-social-media-m...
Social media and map apps blamed for record rise in mountain rescue callouts
www.theguardian.com
Exclusive: Number of 18- to 24-year-olds needing help in England and Wales doubles in five years as services take calls every day in 2024We will have a post to follow, but below is a great insight from the point of view of last night’s exercise casualty.
Our exercise casualty for tonight!Dress down mayor tonight! Apparently I am going to be rescued from the moors by our amazing Bolton Mountain Rescue Team, more to follow!!
#TeamBolton
#togetherstronger
Mayor of Bolton
On Call 24 Hours
Search & Rescue
Event Safety Cover
In case of an emergency, DIAL 999, ask for ‘Police’ then ‘Mountain Rescue’
Give all your prepared details of the incident and ‘STAY WHERE YOU ARE’ until contacted by the rescue team.
If you have to make a further 999 call, follow this procedure in full again.