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 £60,000 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
Over the past two weeks, Bolton MRT have been called to four incidents.
5th June – Search, Rivington.
We were called to search for three missing, vulnerable teenagers in the Rivington area. After commencing our search, further intelligence showed the missing persons to be outside the search areas assigned to us, and we were stood down.
7th June – Rescue, Springwater Park, Whitefield.
We were called to assist a female who had sustained an ankle injury at Springwater Park. Working alongside colleagues from North West Ambulance Service who were on-scene providing treatment, we reached the casualty and facilitated her evacuation to safety.
8th June – Lost walker, Great Hill.
We were called by Lancashire Constabulary to locate and escort a walker who had lost his way between Great Hill and Crookfield Road car park. As team members were mobilising, the lost walker was located by the police. Team members were subsequently stood down.
10th June - Injured male, Little Lever.
We were called out to assist NWAS in woodland in the Little Lever area of Bolton. This was another job where we worked successfully alongside NWAS’s Hazardous Area Response Team to safely extract a casualty from a difficult-to-reach location.
We have also provided standby rescue cover (SRC) for two fantastic fell races.
The first was the Leo Pollard Memorial Fell Race, hosted by Lostock Athletics Club, the second was Horwich RMI Harriers’ Two Lads Fell Race. Both were great events, as usual, that we were glad to be a part of.
On Saturday 13th of June, we took part in Radcliffe Carnival. This amazing community event was celebrating its 60th anniversary, and we were proud to be involved!
As well as attending call-outs, fundraising, and providing safety cover for events, team members ran a rescue training session for our latest probationary team members. During this exercise, the probationers were able to practice the navigation, first-aid, communications, and stretcher handling skills they’ve been working on over the past three months. They’re coming along brilliantly.
During May, Bolton Mountain Rescue Team responded to seven separate incidents across our area.
Every callout was carried out by volunteers who gave up their time to help people in difficulty, at short notice, and often in challenging conditions.
Alongside these incidents, our operational team and probationers continued to train regularly to maintain and develop the skills needed for search and rescue work. This included casualty care, rope work, navigation, search techniques, and working safely in difficult terrain.
Behind the scenes, our support team and trustees also gave countless hours to keep the organisation running. From fundraising and administration, to vehicle maintenance, equipment checks, and welfare support, there was a huge amount of work that happened away from the hillside.
Bolton Mountain Rescue Team is entirely volunteer-led, and none of this would have been possible without the commitment and dedication of everyone involved.
Thank you to our team members, supporters, and the public for your continued support throughout another busy month.
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.