As mourners began to arrive at Holy Trinity Parish Church, Horwich, in the brilliant sunshine and deep blue winter skies of Friday 16th January, they were met by a startling and moving sight. Parked on Church Street, by the arched entrance to the church, were a wide variety of emergency vehicles. These had in common: their orange and white Battenberg liveries; and their blue and red Mountain Rescue roundels. But they had another thing in common. Their occupants, from Bolton MRT, and from mountain rescue teams throughout the north west, had come to show their respect for, and celebrate the remarkable life of, Geoff Seddon, who died on Christmas Eve.

Passing through the arch, a long, red-jacketed Guard of Honour had formed. It lined the path all the way to the church’s entrance. These, Geoff’s fellow mountain rescuers from far and wide, along with representatives of the region’s police forces and fire and rescue services, bowed their heads in respect for Geoff as his coffin filed past, and then joined the congregation inside: hundreds of friends, family, and colleagues of Geoff, spanning the decades and the region.

Geoff’s daughter Felicity, and his two sons Tom and Ted were present, along with Geoff’s two grandchildren. Felicity and Ted addressed the congregation, and did well to hold themselves together as they made the audience laugh and cry with memories of their dad, whose life was far from being just about mountain rescue. We learned that the first time Gill saw Geoff, she vowed he was the man she would marry - and so they did. Both Felicity and Ted deserved the long and loud applause they received. We heard from Mike, from Bolton MRT, who had a difficult task: to summarise Geoff’s contribution to mountain rescue since he began as an eighteen-year old in 1969.

The fact that so many hundreds of people turned out to pay their respects to Geoff, and to celebrate his life, illustrates the enormous legacy of friendship and love he leaves us with.

Stand down and farewell, Geoff.

Geoffrey Hilton Seddon 12th November 1950 - 24th December 2025 ... See MoreSee Less

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Possible congestion around Holy Trinity Parish Church, Horwich, on Friday afternoon 16th January, due to the funeral of Geoff Seddon.

The funeral of Geoff Seddon, Bolton MRT's longest-serving team member, will take place at the Holy Trinity Parish Church, Horwich, at 2pm this Friday 16th January. It is testament to the high regard Geoff is held in that his funeral is expected to be attended by hundreds of family, friends, and current and former team members from Bolton MRT. In addition, many mountain rescuers from teams all over the northwest will be attending. There are expected to be approximately 16 mountain rescue team vehicles in the vicinity of the church around the time of the service, as well as many other private cars. After the service, a funeral cortege will include a number of Bolton MRT team vehicles. It will make its way slowly up Chorley Old Road from about 2:45pm.

We anticipate temporary congestion as a result of the above, and would ask those who might be affected to consider which route would be best for them in order to avoid possible delays.

Thank you for your patience at this sad time.

Bolton MRT ... See MoreSee Less

The team is devastated to announce the death of Geoff Seddon, following a short but brutal battle with cancer. Geoff was a stalwart of Bolton MRT and contributor to mountain rescue regionally and nationally for more than 56 years.

Geoff joined Bolton MRT very shortly after it was formed in 1969, aged 19. He served continuously as an operational member until his death last week, aged 75.

Geoff served as our Team Leader from September 1973 until March 1981 - a month before this author was born. He served as Chairman of the Mid-Pennine Mountain Accident Panel (now known as the Mid-Pennine Search and Rescue Organisation). From 1992 to 2014 he served as Deputy Team Leader of Bolton MRT. On standing down from the Deputy TL role, he was immediately appointed a Life Vice-President of Bolton MRT.

Throughout this time Geoff had time for family, marrying Gill in 1974 and being father to three children – Felicity, Ted and Tom, and grandfather to Mateo and Ruby. Moreover, Geoff was an avid outdoor enthusiast, a member of Bolton Canoe Club, a Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme instructor, a member of staff for Bolton Council’s Youth Service instructing the young people of Bolton in outdoor activities, and more recently working with other independent providers of youth outdoor education.

Geoff had been involved in Mountain Rescue, specifically Bolton MRT, for such a long time. Geoff attended his first large incident in 1973, where he joined around 350 mountain rescue volunteers in the search for a missing pharmacist in the Ogwen Valley, North Wales. His most memorable search came in April 1991, when he found a 6-year-old boy who had been missing overnight in the Trough of Bowland.

After being involved in thousands of search and rescue incidents, it might be assumed that he had taken a step back from front-line duties recently, but this was not the case. He was still very active, both on the hill and on water. Geoff was a qualified Rescue 3 Water Rescue Instructor; a very physically demanding role. He was involved in the water to the response to flooding at Stockport and Didsbury on New Year’s Day 2025, assisting in the rescue of over 500 people from flooded properties. His most recent land rescues were in October 2025 – a search for a missing 13-year-old in darkness on Holcombe Moor, and the rescue of a 15-year-old from Cox Green quarry, Egerton.

Geoff shared his knowledge, wisdom and experience throughout mountain rescue with new and old team members alike. He was always content to use his experience to deliver training for Bolton MRT and other regional teams, always tempered with his experience and dry wit, often concluded over a roll-up or pint in the pub afterwards.

Geoff was awarded the Horwich Civic Medal in 2003 and had been awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal (2022) and the King’s Coronation Medal (2023). In 2019 he was awarded the Mountain Rescue England and Wales 50 years’ service certificate, and in 2024 was awarded the Mountain Rescue England and Wales 55 years’ service certificate by the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester. In May 2025, in recognition of his support for Mountain Rescue, Geoff attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace with his daughter Felicity.

Never assuming, always quick-witted, humorous, and of impeccable integrity, Geoff was a hero and legend to family, friends and everyone in Bolton MRT. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Funeral details will be posted when known. ... See MoreSee Less

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