New base opens for Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team

A NEW base for Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team at Dingwall Business Park has officially been opened by rescue veteran Dave '˜Heavy' Whalley.

Dundonnell mountain rescue volunteers, family and friends at new base. Picture: Supplied

The team of local volunteers, who provide a rescue service over a huge area of the North Highlands, raised £185,000 to fund the new centre which, for the first time, provides a secure garage for vehicles, a training room and stores. Team chair Keith Bryers said: “We are finding it a great asset as a muster point on being called out by Police Scotland and for training events.”

The team of around 40 volunteers is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help anyone in difficulty on the hills. Its territory covers some 2,600 square miles of rugged and remote mountainous terrain, including Coigach, An Teallach, Fisherfield and Letterewe, the Fannichs, Ben Wyvis, Glen Affric, Mullardoch, taking in 40 Munros and some 75 other mountains of note.

The team already has rescue posts at Dundonnell, Ullapool and Gairloch, with vehicles based at these locations plus Dingwall. Members are spread throughout the various communities in the team’s area.

‘Heavy’ has been a member of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service for 36 years. He was the Team Leader of RAF Leuchars, RAF Kinloss and Deputy Team leader at RAF Valley in North Wales.

He was the senior team leader at the Lockerbie disaster and was involved in over 1000 Mountain and over 80 Aircraft incidents in mountainous areas. ‘Heavy was awarded the BEM, MBE and the Distinguished Service Award for Service to Mountain Rescue. He has climbed in most parts of the world and has completed the Munros several times and was a member of the successful 2001 Everest North Ridge Expedition.

Mr Bryers thanked the project’s main funders, the Robertson Trust, sportscotland, Stafford Trust, Crerar Hotels Trust, SSE Fairburn Community Windfarm Trust, Robert Barr Trust, Foyle Foundation, Basil Samuel Trust, Nancy Massey Trust, The Great Wilderness Challenge, Lochluichart Community Trust, W M Mann Trust, AMW Trust, Scottish Mountaineering Trust, Strathconon & Scardroy Estate, Letterewe Estate and Lifescan Scotland.