The Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue Team is delighted to announce that we will be holding a "Sod-turning" event for our long-awaited Rescue Base.

The site for the Base is located beside the headquarters to the Wicklow Mountains National Park at the entrance to Trooperstown Wood. A presentation and reception will take place in the conference room in the National Park HQ, beginning at 11.30am on Friday 9 April, 2010.

The 'Glen Team' has recently received funding which will ensure the completion of Phase 1. The building and grounds will be fully completed in two phases.

The Rescue Base will provide the Mountain Rescue Team with fully secure indoor parking and storage for all the emergency equipment. There will be an Operations Room - planning and complete coordination of a large or extensive 'Call-out' can be run from here. Training facilities in the Base will allow the MR Team to spend more hours in practicing and honing the necessary life-saving skills.

It is intended that the building be a resource to the community - it's not every town or village that has such a wealth of emergency and outdoor skills available to it. The MR Team's first 'home' is situated close to Glendalough where 30-40% of the mountain rescue emergencies occur. In County Wicklow there are on average 45-50 'call-outs' each year. The Glen of Imaal MR Team is a 999/112 Emergency Service operating 24/7 and is entirely voluntary and funded through donations and grants.

For more details on the Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue Team please visit us at http://www.wicklowmountainrescue.ie/

Hugh McLindon  (Public Relations Officer)
Glen of Imaal MRT
086 8520962 (Mobile Phone)

Mountain Rescue is a registered charity:-
GOIMRT - Charity No. : CHY 3950
Irish Mountain Rescue Association - Charity No.: CHY 10412