Glencoe Mountain Rescue reliant on bereaved families for funding

Donations from bereaved families are keeping Scotland’s mountain rescue services afloat, it has been claimed.

John Grieve, a former team leader who has recently retired from Glencoe Mountain Rescue after 50 years, said a lack of government funding meant it had come to rely on donations from families of those who had died on the mountains.

The charity, which also relies heavily on volunteers, has running costs of £80,000 a year.

But it only receives £18,000 a year from the Scottish Government and £7,500 from Police Scotland.

Grieve, 70, said: “The biggest donations tend to come from the families and friends of people who have died in the hills and from people bequeathing money to us in their wills."

The Scottish Government provides just over £300,000 a year for 27 mountain rescue crews across Scotland.

I think the service we offer is way beyond what could be run with a professional service

Glencoe rescue team has responded to 127 call-outs in the last two years, 12 of which have been fatalities.

Grieve added: "I think the service we offer is way beyond what could be run with a professional service. We have the ability to carry out rescues out of sheer experience, and I passionately believe it's the best way to do it.

“But I feel we should get more money from the public purse, as long as it doesn't come with any strings attached, which is always a danger.”

MSP Mary Scanlon said she plans to call for a review of mountain rescue funding across Scotland.

Scanlon added: “Mountain rescue teams provide an essential service and £300,000 a year from the government seems a very small sum to cover all the teams in Scotland.

“I feel the government should be doing more and I am going to be asking for a review of the funding for this essential service.”