Galloway Mountain Rescue Team members taking on epic challenges to mark group's 50th anniversary

George Allsopp is among the Galloway Mountain Rescue Team members embarking on the challenge.
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


Members of Galloway Mountain Rescue Team are undertaking some epic challenges to celebrate the group’s 50th anniversary.

The volunteer-run group has been keeping people safe in the hills for half a century.

And to mark the occasions, some members are set to go through the pain barriers to raise funds towards running costs, which are around £60,000 a year.

Medical officer Ross McConchie said: “There’s six of us aiming to complete 50,000 metres of ascent each over the course of the year, which will be a group total of 300,000 metres.

“They can hike it, run it, cycling, and all the elevation is being recorded on Strava.

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“Cairnsmore of Fleet is 740 metres from sea level so you’d probably talking up and down it about 55 times, so it’s basically up and down Cairnsmore once a week.

Medical officer Ross McConchie
Medical officer Ross McConchie

“There’s others who are doing 50,000 sit ups, 50,000 press ups and 50,000 squat thrusts over the year.

“It’s equivalent of 137 of each one each day.”

In June, four members – including Ross – will tackle the Montane Spine MRT Challenger South.

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The 108-mile race starts in Edale, in Derbyshire, and finishes in Hardraw, in North Yorkshire. It has nearly 5,500 metres of ascent along the Pennine Way.

Ross added: “It’s individual but we’ll probably go as a team and we’ve got 60 hours to complete it.

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“The average running cost is about £60,000 so there’s quite a bit of money involved in running the team.”

Team leader Stewart Gibson
Team leader Stewart Gibson

The team was founded in 1975, originally under the name of Galloway Search and Rescue Group.

It ran as a sub-unit of Moffat Mountain Rescue Team, with the first call out in April 1976.

In 1983, the team became part of the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland and adopted the name Galloway Mountain Rescue Team. Towards the end of that decade they helped in the aftermath of the Lockerbie air disaster.

After operating from Newton Stewart police station for nearly 40 years, the team moved to a new home in the town’s former ambulance station in 2012.

To sponsor the team on their 50th anniversary challenges, visit www.gofundme.com/f/galloway-mrt-50th-anniversary-50000-activity-challenge