Moffat Mountain Rescue Team

06/08/2026

🚨 Call‑Out Update – A Busy 7 Days 🚨

Our volunteers have responded to three call‑outs in the last seven days, supporting Police Scotland and partner agencies across our region.

🔹 31 July – Mouswald
Called at 02:21 to search for a high‑risk missing person.
With support from Galloway Mountain Rescue Team, SARAA - Search and Rescue Aerial Association, Police Scotland Dumfries & Galloway, search dogs and HM Coastguard Rescue 199, the missing person was found safe and well later that morning.

🔹 2 August – Criffel
At 13:44, we assisted a crashed paraglider.
7 team members attended and helped recover equipment. Thankfully, the paraglider was uninjured.

🔹 5 August – Wanlockhead
At 19:32, we were deployed to locate missing walkers.
16 Moffat MRT volunteers, Police Scotland MRT and HM Coastguard Rescue 897 worked together to find the group and extract them safely from the hillside.

Further details available on our website alongside other useful information on keeping yourself safe in the hills, our events and the work the team do:
https://www.moffatmrt.org.uk/busy-spell-for-mmrt-3-incidents-in-a-week/

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💛 Powered by Donations, Driven by Service

Our team is made up entirely of volunteers, and we rely on public support to stay operational.
If you’d like to help us continue this work, please consider donating:

👉 Support Moffat Mountain Rescue https://donate.justgiving.com/charity/mmrt/donation-amount

08/07/2026

National Map Reading Week highlights how vital strong navigation skills are in search and rescue.

For our team those skills sit alongside a wide range of technical capabilities that keep our volunteers ready to respond professionally in all conditions.

Last night, 17 team members took part in a focused training session covering stretcher rigging, PowerPoints, and lowering systems — techniques that allow us to move a casualty safely through steep, complex or hazardous terrain. These systems are built, checked, and operated by volunteers who give their time to ensure the team can reach people quickly and bring them home safely.

Navigation gets us to the right place.
Rigging and lowering get everyone out.

If you’re able to support our work, please consider donating to help us continue providing a professional mountain rescue response:

👉 Donate on JustGiving https://www.justgiving.com/charity/mmrt

07/07/2026

It’s National Map Reading Week, and it’s a perfect chance to celebrate one of the simplest but most powerful bits of kit you can carry — a good old‑fashioned map.

A map isn’t just lines and symbols. It’s a treasure trove of adventures waiting to happen. Every contour, every path, every tiny feature is a hint of what you might discover on your next big hill day or even a wee ramble close to home. Learning to read it well lets you immerse yourself in the landscape long before your boots hit the ground.

Strong navigation skills also keep you safe and help us reach you quickly if things go wrong. It’s confidence, calm, and clarity all rolled into one.

If you fancy learning, sharing this knowledge with your friends and family or brushing up, Ordnance Survey have some brilliant free guides for National Map Reading Week — friendly, easy, and great for all levels.
👉 https://osmaps.com/discover/guides/map-reading-week/

We hope you have a fantastic summer of new adventures, good decisions, and enjoying the hills with a map and compass - two pieces of kit that will serve you every time.

Brush up on your map reading skills with these free guides from National Map Reading Week suitable for total beginners, expert navigators and even kids.

24/06/2026

🚨 Callout – Injured Walker Near Langholm 🚨

At 15:13 on Tuesday 23rd June, Moffat Mountain Rescue Team were requested by Police Scotland to assist a walker who had fallen and sustained a knee injury near Langholm.

11 team members responded. A hasty party made their way to the casualty, assessed their injuries and provided appropriate pain relief. Thanks to a nearby off‑road track, the team were able to access the location directly, allowing the casualty to be packaged into a stretcher and transferred to our VW ambulance 🚑.

Following discussion with the Scottish Ambulance Service, it was agreed that the best option was for the casualty to be transported directly to hospital in the team vehicle. The team conveyed them safely DGRI Emergency Department, completing a full handover with medical staff.

We wish the casualty a smooth and speedy recovery 💛

Our teams rely on donations in order to allow us to respond at speed in emergency situations. If you would like to donate please visit https://www.justgiving.com/charity/mmrt

Full callout details, photos, previous news and advice on staying safe in the hills available here at: https://www.moffatmrt.org.uk/callout-to-warb-law-langholm-for-injured-walker/

Dumfries and Galloway! Whats Going on ? Scottish Mountain Rescue Police Scotland Dumfries & Galloway

17/06/2026

🚨⬆️ CALLOUT TO INJURED WALKER – WATERLOO MONUMENT, DUMFRIES ⬆️🚨
📅 Wed, 17th Jun 2026 | 🕠 17:48 hrs

The team was called out this evening to assist a walker who had injured their ankle while out at the Waterloo Monument, south of Dumfries. The casualty was unable to weight‑bear and required rescue.

👥 12 MMRT volunteers responded, along with 🚑 4 Scottish Ambulance Service crew members.
One local team member — a Remote Rescue Medical Technician (RRMT) — arrived early to provide an on‑scene update and help coordinate resources.

Working together with SAS colleagues, the team:

• Assessed the ankle as possibly broken
• Provided strong pain relief
• Stabilised and treated the injury
• Evacuated the casualty by stretcher to the team’s VW ambulance
• Completed handover at the SAS RV point

We wish the casualty a speedy recovery. 💛

Full report at: https://www.moffatmrt.org.uk/callout-to-injured-walker-at-wallace-monument-dumfries/

Scottish Mountain Rescue
Dumfries and Galloway! Whats Going on ?

14/06/2026

Moffat Mountain Rescue Team is incredibly proud to congratulate James Coles on being awarded the MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours.

James served as Team Leader for the last five years, guiding the team through some of our most challenging periods — including the Covid‑19 pandemic — and strengthening the resilience, training, and operational readiness that define MMRT today. His leadership supported improvements to our base, the creation of the Skene Room, and the continued development of our volunteers.

He also championed community fundraising, helped re‑establish the Charity Challenge, and ensured the team remained financially stable and well‑governed.

James leaves the role with the respect and gratitude of every member of the team. His MBE is a fitting recognition of his dedication to public service and to the safety of those who live, work, and travel in the hills of Southern Scotland.

Congratulations, James — and thank you for your leadership and continued support as an active member of our team.

Read the full statements from John Burnham, current Team Leader and Moira Weatherstone, Chair of Scottish Mountain Rescue at:
https://www.moffatmrt.org.uk/james-coles-mbe-honoured-in-kings-birthday-honours-2026/

02/06/2026

02/06/2026

Powered by donations. Driven by service.

Celebrating Our Volunteers as We Count Down to Charity Challenge Day

It’s Volunteers’ Week, and we’re shining a spotlight on our smiley happy team members who make everything we do possible.

Across the UK, volunteers give their time, skills and compassion to strengthen communities — and here at Moffat Mountain Rescue, our own volunteers are the heartbeat of every rescue, every training night and every event we deliver.

As we enter the final countdown to our annual Charity Challenge, we’re reminded just how much this event depends on their dedication. From planning and preparation to supporting everyone who takes part on the day, our volunteers are behind every step that keeps our community safe on the hills.

This week, we join organisations across the country in saying a huge thank you.
We simply couldn’t do what we do without you.

Online registration for the Charity Challenge has now closed, but you’re still very welcome to come along on the day. All event details can be found here:
👉 Moffat Mountain Rescue Charity Challenge 2026

26/05/2026

Final Countdown

The final countdown is on — this year’s Moffat Mountain Rescue Charity Challenge is almost here, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back to the hills on Sunday 7th June.

Over the weekend of Sunday 17th May the team were out on Queensberry, checking routes, testing radio comms and making sure every detail is exactly as it should be for our wonderful supporters. Your safety matters to us, and these final preparations mean we’re ready for a brilliant day on the hill.

This event is our biggest opportunity of the year to raise the vital funds that keep Moffat Mountain Rescue operational.
Every pound helps us respond to walkers, runners, families and members of our community when they need us most.

If you haven’t signed up yet, there’s still time:
👉 https://www.moffatmrt.org.uk/events/charity-challenge-2026/

Let’s make this the strongest year yet — for the team, for the community, and for everyone who relies on mountain rescue.