OREANDA-NEWS. The Moffat Mountain Rescue Team is now able to purchase essential new equipment including high spec radios to enable it to continue to provide the lifesaving service it offers, thanks to a ?4,313 award from the SSE Clyde (Dumfries and Galloway) Community Fund. 

Moffat Mountain Rescue covers much of Eastern Dumfries and Galloway and all of Lanarkshire, providing a valuable service to walkers, climbers, members of the local community and Police Scotland.

The vehicle radios are essential to ensuring the safety of the team and those they rescue.  In any mountain rescue operation, communication is vital to the smooth running of that operation. Due to the rugged nature of the environment in this area, many search and rescue operations will be carried out by teams on foot. Consequently first responders need to be able to assess the situation and keep in contact with the control vehicle to request correct equipment and personnel to attend the site. 

James Coles, Moffat Mountain Rescue Communications Officer said, “All of our team members are volunteers who give countless hours of their own time for fundraising, training and attending callouts.

"We rely on charitable donations to purchase and maintain essential team equipment such as the radios we will now be able to purchase as a result of this grant. Without these charitable donations, it would not be possible to offer the high quality service we currently do to those we search for.

"We are extremely grateful to SSE and the local community for this donation.”