International Women’s Day Profile: Nicola
International Women’s Day Profile: Nicola
Nicola Jackson
Torridon MRT
I am the Chair of Torridon Mountain Rescue Team and a Director in the committee. I have spent 10 years rigging up ropes, carrying stretchers up mountains and hanging out with our amazing team in various cold and wet situations.
As someone who loves spending time in the mountains, I decided that offering my time to the incredible organisation that is Scottish Mountain Rescue would be both a rewarding and highly valuable thing to do. A friend of mine in the Torridon team suggested I joined, and I am so glad I did!
“The most rewarding thing about being in a mountain rescue team is building an effective team that can help you and others in many situations.”
It is great having a group of friends who you trust to hold the rope when being lowered down a rock face, who will help you out when you forget your snacks on a callout, who will get up in the dark and run over a mountain with you before training, who immediately say yes to jumping in cold lochs for fun and who will always be up for going on climbing holidays.
On the flip side, the hardest thing… Nothing, I love it! Well, I suppose I should write something here about operating in difficult weather conditions, but I really like that part. Or maybe getting called out in the early hours, but I would rather be on a mountain than sleeping.
Being in a Mountain Rescue Team is a big commitment. The more time you commit, then the more you get out of it and the more we can work effectively as a team. We train the first Sunday of every month, with additional evening training and full weekends to build further skills from rigging, to first aid and swift water rescue.
When a call out goes well and there is a successful outcome for the casualty, it can still mean that we have dealt with a difficult situation. Our team are supportive in these situations.
The wider support we receive is very important as well. When not in the mountains, I work as a Net Zero lead in UK wide construction business. I am grateful to the company I work for; they understand the need for search and rescue and the valuable service we provide as volunteers. The company permits several days per year for me to attend callouts and training where required.
