Galway Mountain Rescue Team (GMRT ) will be on the streets of Galway City this coming Saturday, November 6, for its annual fundraising bucket collection. Team members will be stationed on Shop Street and at the Briar Hill Shopping Centre throughout the day.
According to Ronan Concannon, team leader, it takes approximately €30,000 per year to run the team. This money is required to cover costs such as insurance, vehicle running costs and rescue equipment. Much of this has to be raised by the team itself and very often members have to cover their own costs associated with rescue missions and training. 'Our annual bucket collection is hugely important to us in terms of fundraising and we get a fantastic response from the people of Galway every year', said Mr Concannon.
GMRT is responsible for providing a search and rescue service in the upland and remote areas of counties Galway and Clare. In addition the team also responds to requests for assistance in lowland missing people searches. This service is provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is completely free of charge. The team currently comprises 35 members and is entirely voluntary. In the case of an emergency, it is contacted via the gardai.
So, if you are about town on Saturday next, watch out for its members who will be decked out in our very attractive high-visibility jackets! Also, for anybody interested in joining GMRT, we will be recruiting new members early in 2011. For more information on this and the team in general, visit www.gmrt i ). With regards to a take home safety message, remember to stay safe in the mountains.
