In an emergency call 999 and ask for Police then Mountain Rescue

Every year, Scottish Mountain Rescue and our 26 Member Teams work together to provide a lifesaving service across Scotland. Together, we invest around £2.5 million in keeping our teams trained, equipped and ready to respond.

This figure does not capture the full contribution made by our volunteers. Many team members also give their own time, use personal equipment and cover some of their own travel costs to help keep this essential service available whenever it is needed.

Scottish Mountain Rescue

How Scottish Mountain Rescue spend our funds

How we use our funding

Scottish Mountain Rescue uses the funds it receives to support our 26 Member Teams and the volunteers who deliver mountain rescue across Scotland. This includes providing national coordination, training, insurance, wellbeing support, equipment and other services that help teams operate safely and effectively.

In the year ended 31 March 2025 our expenditure was allocated as follows:

Our organisational costs include staff and resources required to coordinate and support mountain rescue across Scotland. This includes work that directly enables frontline delivery, such as organising national training, supporting volunteers and developing services for our Member Teams.

 

Team expenditure

How funds are spent across our 26 member teams

How our member teams use their funding

Across our 26 Member Teams, around £2 million is spent each year to keep local mountain rescue services operational and ready to respond.

Each team has its own circumstances, terrain, equipment requirements and operational needs, so spending priorities naturally vary from team to team. Expenditure can also change from year to year depending on major purchases, such as vehicles, specialist equipment or other essential items.

The chart below shows how a typical team may allocate its funding across the areas needed to maintain an effective, safe and sustainable rescue service.

You can find out more detail about each team on the team website. Links to team websites can be found on our team pages

What difference does my support make?

On average, each rescue response costs around £2,500 to support.

Our 850 volunteers across 26 Member Teams give their time, skills and expertise to help save lives in communities across Scotland. Many also contribute their own equipment, travel costs and other personal resources to support their teams.

While our volunteers provide their time freely, funding is essential to maintain the service they rely on. Scottish Mountain Rescue uses funding to support our teams with the training, insurance, equipment and national coordination they need to provide the best possible response to those who need help.

Every rescue is made possible by the commitment of our volunteers and the support of those who fund our work.

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