Dundonell Mountain Rescue set for Dingwall base

DUNDONNELL Mountain Rescue Team is to build its first base on the east coast of its vast territory.

The current base at Dundonnell. Picture: Contributed

The team has just purchased a site in Dingwall, giving it quick access to 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, which is planned to accommodate a meeting room, stores and garage for the team’s East Coast vehicle.

Keith Bryers, chairman of Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team (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.