At Dundee's last home game v St Johnstone, we welcomed Tayside Mountain Rescue back to Dens Park as part of the Community Initiative. This would be the fourth visit in a year from TMR after a successful visit last season followed an aborted visit after floodlight failure, and of course as part of the charity day on the final day of the season.
Tayside Mountain Rescue are obviously adept at adapting however, the nature of the work they do means that they can be called away at short notice, as happened on this occasion. Deputy Team Leader Paul Russell explained "We were due to bring a search dog with us today, but the dog and his handler were called out on Thursday, and is still involved in a search, so obviously he can’t be here today, and that is probably a good example of what life in Tayside Mountain Rescue is like. We have around 25 civilian volunteers, and all of us know that we can be called out at extremely short notice. The three dog handlers can also be called out to help in other parts of the country, as has happened this week. We have been getting busier, which in turn means we need to raise even more money, last year was a record year for call outs, and this year looks set to pass that mark.
"The logistics of what we do, Tayside Mountain Rescue cover a fairly large area, from Montrose right across through Glenshee and Glenclova to Kinloch Rannoch, and west to Aberfeldy right down to Perth and Dundee, we have had the odd shout in Fife as well, and with over 45 call outs this year, you can see how busy we are. It is fairly important to have an understanding employer as well as family, a call out can come at any time, and without the understanding of family and employers, well you can see how much we need and appreciate that.
"We are hoping to raise enough money to fund a new rescue base, hopefully in Blairgowrie, which is pretty central for the Tayside area. Obviously we also need to raise funds for training and supplies, it is an ongoing process really so the signed merchandise will help towards our running costs, and is greatly appreciated."
As well as raising awareness for the work they do, Paul wanted to point out that volunteers are welcome, with a regular intake. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact TMR at team@taysidemrt.org.uk asking for an application form. Anyone wishing more information can visit the TMR website or their facebook page.
Society Community Director Jacqui Robertson was delighted to welcome back some familiar faces, and once again help to raise awareness of the fantastic work done by TMR, "It was great to have Paul and the team from TMR back at Dens after they enjoyed a successful day with us last season. The job these people do is amazing and they literally give up their time at the drop of a hat and we are happy to have been able to help. It's important that people know exactly what the volunteers do."
Dundee FC Supporters' Society are once again delighted to extend our thanks to TMR for the work they do, and for taking time out to come back to Dens. Paul and the rest of the team obviously do a fantastic job, in challenging environments and conditions, and it was an honour to welcome them back to Dens Park to assist with raising awareness of the sterling work they do.