A new national training centre is set to help mountain rescue volunteers save lives on Scotland’s peaks.
Tayside Mountain Rescue will formally open its new St John Scotland base in Blairgowrie on Saturday. It is the first time in the 40 years of organised mountain rescue in the region that volunteers have had a dedicated operational base.
Each year they face a huge variety of challenges, dealing with a broad spectrum of incidents.
The teams also assist with accidents involving remote workers such as forestry, farm and estates, water incidents involving canoeists and other adventure tourism, such as canyoneering, together with community support during bad weather.
Their new base has been provided by the care charity St John Scotland and will be a focal point for mountain rescue across the area.
In addition, it will be used to support national training for mountain rescue with Tayside at the forefront of skills relative to rigging and canyon rescue.
It will be a huge bonus to Tayside Mountain Rescue, which is a collaboration of civilian and police teams.
St John Scotland has a rolling programme of supporting Scotland’s mountain rescue teams, so far providing 12 new bases, as well as new vehicles and equipment.
In 2011 alone it donated more than £187,000 to rescue projects all over the country. The new centre has been welcomed by the Perth-based Mountaineering Council of Scotland, which represents walkers and climbers.
Spokesman Neil Reid said: “This is great news. We welcome anything that will improve facilities for the country’s mountain rescue teams and are delighted that the centre also includes a training facility.
“We encourage people to behave responsibly and safely in the mountains, but obviously accidents to do happen. And of course, the teams do not just help climbers, they also get involved in all sorts of remote rescues.”