mountain rescue appeal

[daz h]

im sendin a donation to the edale montain rescue after seein it in the fellrunner
why should these organisations always have to rely on donations
surely if the police, ambulance, and fire recieve money from tax why not mountain rescue
baffles me
they are providin a life preserving service to thousands of people each year
they shouldnt have to struggle , its not right
wonder if they have ever recieved lottery fundin
they should have cos we give lottery money out to some right dodgy things
same old story i suppose
my hat off to all mountain rescue volunteers
come on send em a few quid

[Alan]

Mountain Rescue Teams have had some small successes with lottery funding in the past, but this funding can be very specific in what it is designed to cover, and MRTs usually don't fit bill.

Of course the police and government are very supportive, but the financial aspect of this doesn't go very far, and teams are usually reduced to tin rattling to maintain the kind of service that hill goers have come to expect.

Funding through taxation would be a mixed blessing. Anything sourced from the exchequer ultimately comes under scrutiny from the cost cutters, and pretty soon we'd be back in the "rescue paid for by insurance" loop with all the problems that come with it.

Edale MRT have operated from a room within a (huge) garage in the confines of the cement factory in Hope for many, many years and it would be nice to see them in a place of their own which has been designed to cater for a rescue team's requirements. They are a very busy team, but they still manage to find the time to support many of the local Peak District races and I think that it is in our interests as fell runners to support them now - when they really need it.

[bigfella]

The Stannage Struggle last year donated £640+ pounds to the Edale MRT (and the same amount to the local school). Each year we aim to cover costs by sponsorship and give all entry fees to charity which usually includes mountain rescue. You never know when you might need them and they in turn support most of the local races.

[daz h]

they seem to need £150,000 by december
thats some total
they shouldnt have to have the hassle of fundraising
after all they are volunteers
must be hard
well done to Lafarge for there support as well,

[IanDarkpeak]

The Stannage Struggle last year donated £640+ pounds to the Edale MRT (and the same amount to the local school). Each year we aim to cover costs by sponsorship and give all entry fees to charity which usually includes mountain rescue. You never know when you might need them and they in turn support most of the local races.

Very true bigfella. If any one feels like putting there hand in their pocket Edale MRT will be on hand at the Edale Skyline Champs this year,

On a more personal note my Team, Woodhead MRT who marshalled Tankies this year and Mickledon host our own FRA race on Oct 6th called the "Grin and Bear it" BL 15.5 miles 1950ft from Langsett in the peak. It costs £8 and is a great course in some very remote areas, can you think of a better way as a fell runner to donate money! Put it in your diary now.

I will be plugging this event nearer the day but all the details are in the handbook.

Ian

[daz h]

Very true bigfella. If any one feels like putting there hand in their pocket Edale MRT will be on hand at the Edale Skyline Champs this year,

On a more personal note my Team, Woodhead MRT who marshalled Tankies this year and Mickledon host our own FRA race on Oct 6th called the "Grin and Bear it" BL 15.5 miles 1950ft from Langsett in the peak. It costs £8 and is a great course in some very remote areas, can you think of a better way as a fell runner to donate money! Put it in your diary now.

I will be plugging this event nearer the day but all the details are in the handbook.

Ian

i will be there ian
brilliant work by your team
do you struggle for funding as well mate
takes a lot of dedication to be a volunteer

[clodhopper]

Daz, during my time as an MRT member during the '90s, most teams, certainly at that time were wary about the thought of government financial backing. It was felt that MRT's needed full autonomy to operate effectively and that once the government began suporting them it would inevitably mean the government would have a greater or lesser degree of control about what the teams do. It was regarded as a threat in the same way as the idea of full time professional teams were.

[DanAzz]

Not sure where I read it, might even have been on the old forum, there was something about the RNLI (I think) getting gov funding but the paper work and bureaucracy got so bad they went back to donations.

Air Ambulance is in the same position, amazing they aren't part of the NHS.

[Yorkshire Thug]

This isn't going to be a popular post, but I'm going to say what a lot of people have been thinking for years.

It is a fact that there are more rescue teams in the Peak District than there are in the Lake District (and far fewer mountains).

While I think that there obviously is a case for mountain rescue in the Peak - why the profusion of teams?

Do Oldham MRT, Derby MRT, Woodhead MRT, Glossop MRT, Edale MRT, Buxton MRT and Kinder MRT ALL need to cover this tiny area? Does this not mean that these seven teams are constantly competing with each other for fundraising etc - a point made even worse when you consider that they also compete with search dogs and cave rescue in the same area?

And do the ALL need expensive Landrovers and their own headquarters? Can't they share?

I'm not knocking mountain rescue - just questioning how they manage it in the Peak. It's not like this in the Yorkshire Dales - a far bigger area. From the outside there seems to be a lot of unnecessary duplication and competition.

[XRunner]

While I think that there obviously is a case for mountain rescue in the Peak - why the profusion of teams?

It may be because the Peak District is surrounded by large conurbations. Over 17 million people live within 60 miles.

It is very easy for inexperiences or inadequately prepared people to visit.