Members of Glenrothes Hillwalkers Club hand the cheque to Assynt Mountain Rescue
A group of walkers provided a cash boost to a team of volunteer rescuers during a visit to the Highlands.
Glenrothes Hillwalkers Club handed over more than £500 to Assynt Mountain Rescue on Friday.
The club was visiting Assynt for a weekend of walking and called in at the rescuers’ base to give a cheque to team leader Sue Agnew and equipment officer Martin Hall.
Ms Agnew said: “We are a small team, and cover a large area. Much of our funding is used to keep the team trained, equipped and ready to respond when we are needed.
“This donation is most welcome, and will be put to good use. It’s always great to meet the clubs that support us, especially socially rather than on a callout.”
Jim Anderson on behalf of the club said: “We are very pleased to hand over the cheque we fundraised for Assynt Mountain Rescue. We are keen to support the smaller less well funded teams such as Assynt, as we appreciate the work that the volunteers do. We hope we never have a need to call them out of course.”
The £551 donation was the proceeds of mountain-rescue fundraising by the Fife club through activities such silent auctions, where members donate unwanted hillwalking items, and others bid for them.
Martin Hall added: “We have to renew our equipment continually to make sure we are operating safely. This has a cost, and donations such as this are invaluable in maintaining our kit to the highest standard.”
The Glenrothes Hillwalkers Club has been in existence for more than 30 years, and visits areas of the country for walking weekends. They also ensure skills such as navigation, winter skills and climbing are part of their annual programme. With a mix of more experienced members, they can pass on their skills to the newer younger members, helping them be safer on the hills.
Assynt Mountain Rescue celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2017. It covers all of Caithness and Sutherland, and is run by volunteers providing day and night help to those in need in the countryside. In 2014 the team received funding from the Order of St John, Scotland, to buy a new Land Rover.
