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
On Bank Holiday Monday, 31st August, Bolton Central Fire Station held their annual Open Day. We were delighted to be invited to attend once again – we have been doing so for many years. The firefighters put on a great family show with displays of firefighting equipment, vehicles (who can resist a shiny red fire engine?), and stalls. They also did several startling and memorable demonstrations of what happens when water is poured onto a pan of hot oil such as a chip pan.
12 members of Bolton MRT were in attendance along with our emergency vehicles BM1 (a Land Rover Defender) and BM4 (a SsangYong Musso 4x4 pickup). Visitors were able to talk to team members about our work, see demonstrations of CPR, and try this vital life-saving skill for themselves. There were also displays of photographs of the team in action, and items of merchandise for sale. The highlight of our contribution to the day’s festivities was a demonstration by members of our Technical Rope Rescue team of the rescue of a person stuck on a vertical cliff face a long way above the ground. The cliff face was the fire service’s training tower, of course, but the techniques used were the same as would be used on a cliff rescue, or very steep ground rescue.
As an illustration of how closely we work with all the emergency services, including the Fire and Rescue Service, the techniques and equipment we used for the demonstration are broadly the same as used by the fire service themselves, so that we can work together on real incidents.
We express our sincere thanks to Bolton Central Fire Station staff for inviting us, and to all the adults and children who visited our displays.
Tomorrrow (Saturday 5th September) we'll be joining our colleagues at Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team (BPMRT) along with colleagues from the ambulance, police and other services for a multi-agency training exercise in the Anglezarke area.
If you’re out and about and spot our vehicles, team members or “casualties”, please don’t be alarmed - it’s all part of the exercise, and no one is actually injured.
A big thank you to United Utilities for their support in granting us access to the land to enable this exercise to take place.
A quick round-up of the eight incidents attended over the last few weeks....
7th July - 23:01 - Haigh Hall, near Wigan - a 21 year old male was reported to have suffered from a medical incident in the woods at Haigh Hall. Working alongside an NWAS crew he was carried from the woods to the car park.
12th July - 07:33 - vicinity of Earnsdale reservoir, Darwen - report of a 20 year old unconscious female. The team was quickly stood down as an NWAS crew was able to access the patient.
14th July - 18:41 - Roddlesworth plantations, Tockholes - 44 year old female with an ankle injury. The patient was evacuated from the woods on board a team vehicle.
18th July - 14:13 - Lilford Park, Leigh - report of an 11 year old male injured whilst cycling in the park. Another quick stand-down as an NWAS ambulance crew and NWAA crew were able to access the patient.
20th July - 14:11 - Old Kate's, Rivington - report of an 83 year old male with a head injury following a fall whilst walking. Team members attended, treated the injury, and conveyed the patient to safety.
24th July - 12:18 - Bamber Bridge, near Preston - request to assist Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team with the ongoing search to locate David Henry, who was reported missing from home. Very sadly during the search, the search teams located a body thought to be David. Our condolences are extended to David's family and friends.
31st July - 15:34 - Moses Gate country park - previously reported on our Facebook page - a 69 year old female had fallen on a woodland track running alongside the River Croal. Team members worked alongside NWAS to evacuate the casualty to a NWAS ambulance.
4th August - 22:51 - Rivington Moor - Lancashire Constabulary contacted the team for assistance to locate a party of three people reported to be lost on the moor, with only an approximate area known. SARCALL PhoneFind tech was used to pinpoint the group, and two Bolton MRT team members walked onto the moor to guide them back to solid ground.
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.