Mournes rescue team looking back as work on new base starts

Mournes rescue team looking back as work on new base starts

10 September 2025

AS a new chapter in the history of the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team opens with the start of construction work on an ultra-modern new base in Newcastle, the group is turning its attention to the past.

Long serving member Dave Goddard has volunteered to pull together an comprehensive history of the team and wants to hear from anyone who were former members, whose relatives were rescued or those who have a story to tell about the impact the team has had on the lives of loved ones or people they know.

Dave is actually the rescue team’s longest-serving member and has been affectionately described a museum piece and intrinsic part of a team which launched in 1962.

As it collates its history, the team is keen to hear from anyone who has ever been part of it, lent a hand, or even been on the receiving end of a rescue.

“We’d love to hear your memories,” a team spokesman said.

“It might be an older relative who isn’t on social media, or even someone who’s sadly no longer with us. Either way, their role still matters, and we’d like to make sure they’re remembered in our history.

“If you can help, please private message us via social media with your contact details and we’ll get in touch”.

The rescue team’s new dedicated home is being built on land donated by supermarket giant Lidl in Newcastle which adjoins Donard Park at the foothills of the Mournes.

Rescue team officials have been working closely with Lidl to complete the finer detail of a 999-year lease which has now been agreed with the site in the rescue team’s ownership.

Work has also been continuing on the next Monday and take around 34 weeks to complete.

At the start of this year, the rescue team revealed that it had reached its goal of securing over £1m to build the new centre at Shanslieve Drive.

Community fundraising has generated a phenomenal £750,000 to date while the Community Ownership Fund provided £500,000.

The rescue team said its basic funding requirements have now been met, paving the way for building work to start and while humbled by the public’s support, the rescue team said its fundraising campaign will continue until its eagerly-awaited new home is complete.

Rescue team volunteers are eager to see construction work start on the new carbon-neutral base where team members will be based.

Dedicated and highly trained volunteers are out in all weathers and work in the most difficult and challenging of conditions, playing a critical role to play in rescuing people who get into difficulty in the Mournes.

The organisation is highly regarded not just locally, but across Northern Ireland and much further afield.

Rescue team volunteers work seamlessly with all arms of the emergency services and have been presented with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The Community Ownership Fund was part of the so-called Levelling Up initiative spearheaded by the last Conservative government and while applications were paused when the UK election was called last year, the rescue team’s bid for crucial financial support was subsequently successful with the decision confirmed last December.

Crucially, with all the funding in place, the rescue team will not have to borrow the money to finance construction costs.

The new carbon neutral building ties in with the rescue team’s desire to ensure its new base is energy efficient, using solar power and air source heat which will help reduce overheads.

Thirteen years on from the launch of the campaign for a new base, bulldozers will be on site in almost four weeks’ time, with the rescue team grateful for the community’s continued support.

The volunteers say they could not do without the public’s generosity and it was the community that helped drive it to the cusp of building work on the new base finally getting underway.

To make a donation visit https://www.mournemrt.org/donate/