As part of a country wide co-ordinated National Mountain and Cave Rescue Awareness Day, the Bolton Mountain Rescue Team was on full display in Lever Park, Rivington, today from 11.00am until 4.00pm, on land immediately alongside the Great House Barn, known locally as the ’Bottom Barn’.
Mountain (and Cave) Rescue Teams throughout the UK are involved in a much wider operational role than just their names suggest, for example MRTs were heavily involved at the Greyrigg train disaster, the Gloucestershire, Tewkesbury, Sheffield, Carlisle and recent Cumbria floods, the East Midlands and Lockerbie plane disasters, missing person searches, assisting ambulance services in snowy conditions, helping the Fire Services at moorland grass fires, checking wintry roads for snowbound vehicles and their occupants, assisting ambulance services with difficult to access or evacuate casualties and a myriad other incidents, all away from our usual mountain, moorland, cliff and cave roles.
Todays National Awareness Day was the first ever country wide event designed to explain to the public not just our traditional role but all the other emergency roles and situations we now respond to on a national basis.
The Bolton Mountain Rescue Team today displayed all four of our Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances, which includes two ’First Response’ vehicles, our Incident Support vehicle and our Personnel Carrier, our new Minibus and our Control and Communications Trailer.
We also publically displayed for the first time our new in service Search and Rescue Semi Rigid Boat and Water Search and Rescue equipment.
Also on show was the full contents of one of our ’First Response’ Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances, consisting of a very comprehensive range of search and rescue equipment.
Alongside the teams display boards, fifteen Call Out list members, six Support Group members and former team member and team supporter Diane Blakeley, were all on hand to jointly explain the varied roles and work of the team.
Many of the visitors to our display also donated to the team at our 2nd hand book stall, operated by our Support Group members.
Amongst those visiting were former team members, husband and wife Dave and Trish Dorgan, (Dave is a former Bolton MRT Deputy Team Leader), Alan Livesey, and very long term team supporter Dave Lane (who kindly informed us another donation to the team from his booksales was in the post and on its way to us)
A great many of our visitors commented on the good work we do and also (Given that a General Election is days away) almost to a person thought we should have a degree of funding and support from central government to reflect the contribution the voluntary mountain rescue teams make to all communities in many varied emergency roles and incidents.
Although today was primarily a publicity day for the teams work, we raised £138.74 from public donations and donations at our 2nd hand book stall, thanks to all those Team Call Out list and Support Group members who donated books for our stall.
Given that today was the May day weekend it was almost inevitable that it would rain at some point in the day, and although the morning started dry and bright the afternoon quickly turned very cold and wet, we even got a hailstone shower !
The team would like to extend its thanks to the landowner, United Utilities for kindly allowing us to hold this day on their Rivington Estate, and to Salmons Caterers for their permission and support of the team in allowing us to set up next to their very busy catering outlet the Great House Barn, with particular thanks to Kevin Salmon.
Our colleagues at Rossendale and Pendle MRT were also on display this same day, at Peel Tower, Holcombe, on the moors above Bury, where they also held a fundraising abseil event raising funds for their team.
