Ross mountain rescue team launches £150,000 drive for new base
A WESTER Ross mountain rescue rescue team has taken a significant stride towards establishing an east coast base in Dingwall - and has now stepped up a £150,000 fundraising drive.
Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team (DMRT) has bought a site in Dingwall at which the team intends to build an east coast base to help service a vast territory which includes well-known mountain areas such as Coigach, the Fannichs, An Teallach, Strathconon, Strathfarrar, Glen Affric and Mullardoch.
The team has used its reserve fund to purchase the site at Dingwall Business Park - but now has to raise some £150,000 to construct and fit-out the building. Under the plans, it will include a meeting room, stores and garage for the team’s East Coast vehicle.
Keith Bryers, Chairman of DMRT, said: “We are grateful to a local businessman who has kindly hosted our vehicle on his site for some years but we now need to establish a permanent base where we can meet, keep the van securely, store our gear and muster members for call-outs.
"Thanks to the generosity of the Order of St. John and other bodies we were able to fund bases at Ullapool and Dundonnell some years ago but, until now, struggled to find a suitable site in the Dingwall area.
"Having secured a site, we now have the challenge of raising this very large sum. However, we feel reasonably confident that there is good public support for the work we do and we have set ourselves the target of starting to build within about a year.”
The rescue team of around 40 volunteers covers some 2,600 square miles of rugged and remote mountainous terrain and is available, at the request of Police Scotland, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help anyone in difficulty on the hills.
DMRT has vehicles based at Ullapool, Gairloch, Dundonnell and Dingwall with members living on both the East and West coasts of the North Highlands.
Further information about the team, which is a registered charity, and its activities, can be found on the team’s website: http://www.dmrt.org.uk
Donations can be made via Gift Aid at: www.justgiving.com/dundonnellmountainrescue/