Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team launches crowdfunder to help pay for new centre after rise in callouts

Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team is crowdfunding to raise £100,000 towards the cost of extending its base.

The mountain rescue team was formed in 1961 with their equipment and vehicles being stored around the village in volunteers’ houses for several years.

Their current rescue centre was officially opened in 1999 and was described as a “big step forward” for the voluntary organisation.

In the years since, the service has seen an increase in demand with the number of callouts jumping from 35 to 90 in 2023, including the recovery of the bodies of three climbers who died at Aonach Eagach Ridge in Glen Coe in August.

The mountain rescue team has now drawn up plans to extend the base.

The proposed expansion will include a new garage allowing the team to have their vehicles easily available in an emergency, including those kept on trailers such as boats and quad bikes.

The team said its transport was currently packed closely together inside the centre, and vehicles had to be “shuffled around” to get them out in an emergency.

The new planned garage will also be extended to make more room for larger modern vans.

The main training and meeting space would be moved into a newly formed first floor space which would allow the MRT to have the entire team of 35 present for essential training and will also accommodate the more than 50 rescuers for briefings during large-scale multi-agency searches.

It would also include an area on the ground floor which would allow the team to have a dedicated space for drones and other equipment such as medical supplies, ropes, stretchers and provisions for team and casualties alike.

The fundraiser explains: “Glencoe Mountain Rescue was formed in 1961 and for many years the team’s equipment and vehicles were stored around the village in volunteers’ houses, so the current Rescue Centre was a big step forward and was officially opened in 1999.

“At this time the team responded to around 35 callouts a year and it would have been hard to imagine how the number of rescues would increase and the amount of rescue equipment would grow in the subsequent 25 years.

“In 2023 alone we attended over 90 rescues and it is no surprise that we have outgrown the building that has served us so well for the last quarter century. So the time is right for us to extend our rescue centre.

“We believe this extension will improve the service that we can provide and best serve all who enjoy our hills for the next 25 years or more.”

Anyone who wishes to donate can do so on the Crowdfund page.