Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team

27/09/2026

World Alzheimers Day was this month (on 21st Sept). Its a hugely important issue to the team both personally (many of us have direct connections and experiences), and to the work we do.

It's a little known aspect of the work we carry out as a mountain rescue team. Several callouts each year across our patch are for us to attend to help search for and assist those with Alzheimers.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CshTJfEiM/

"Speed is key and the use of Herbert Protocol has ensured that"

19/09/2026

We would like to say a HUGE thanks to Avril for some highly skilled and practical support she gave to the team recently.

We've got a lot of kit that travels in our team vehicles. It's all essential stuff that enables us to respond to the very wide range of incidents we could be called to. It gets pretty messy.

Step forward Avril who has done an amazing job in sorting and stitching labels onto the storage bags we use to keep things tidy.

Thanks Avril!

17/09/2026

Callout 38 of 2026 - 17/9/2026

Hot on the heels of a couple of busy weekends, the team were back in action again today. We were requested by Police Scotland at 1113hrs today to assist a walker with a serious leg injury in the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh. After RV'ing at the Flotterstone Inn, team members attended alongside our colleagues from Scottish Ambulance Service (including their specialist SORT team), and another visit from Maritime and Coastguard Agency helicopter R199.

The casualty was assessed and packaged on the scene, then taking down the hill by R199 and transferred to a road ambulance for the onward journey. We were off the hill and stood down by 1334hrs.

Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team is 100% volunteer-based, but we still have substantial annual running costs. If you are able to help us do what we do by making a donation, it would be massively appreciated!

https://www.justgiving.com/charity/tweedvalleymrt

14/09/2026

Callouts 36 and 37 of 2026 - 13/9/26

Another busy multi-callout day for the team yesterday, with locations of shouts that illustrate the large area of Scotland that we cover.

Callout 36

Police Scotland called us out at 1458hrs to assist a walker on the Eildon Hills (nr Melrose) who was unwell. It's an area we know well, and so were able to drive into the saddle between the two main hills. The casualty was assessed and extracted from the hill where they were handed over to a family member. We stood down at 1612hrs.

Callout 37

We were called at 1911hrs by Scottish Ambulance Service to assist with a walker on Arthurs Seat, Edinburgh who had fallen and sustained a head injury. The R199 helicopter was also heading to the scene, but we were requested by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as a contingency. Happily, R199 was able to reach and extract the casualty, and TVMRT were quickly stood down.

Scottish Mountain Rescue
Police Scotland Lothians & Scottish Borders

12/09/2026

Whilst we don't have anything like this number of callouts, or their mountains, this important message from our colleagues at Llanberis MRT resonates strongly with us.

Please help yourself stay safe by making good decisions and taking good advice!

After 59 callouts in August, the busiest month in our history, we think it is time for a serious conversation about what is happening in our mountains.

Our volunteers carried out prolonged rescues in darkness and poor weather, dealt with serious injuries, heat-related issues, assisted people stuck in serious terrain and, sadly, attended incidents where people and animals lost their lives.

What concerns us most is the increasing number of people taking on difficult terrain while completely unprepared for what they are facing.

The mountains have not suddenly become more dangerous. More people are visiting them, and the way routes are discovered and accessed has changed.

Routes once mainly attempted by experienced hillwalkers and mountaineers are increasingly attracting people with little or no experience.

A photograph or video of Crib Goch can make an exposed Grade 1 scramble look like just another route to the summit. What it doesn’t show is how intimidating that ridge can be in cloud, rain or strong winds or how quickly a manageable situation can become a serious emergency.

We want people to enjoy Eryri. We understand the physical and mental health benefits of spending time in the mountains but accidents happen, even to experienced, well-prepared people. That is why we volunteer.

But enjoying the mountains also comes with personal responsibility. Too often, people simply don’t know that a route may require specific skills, equipment, fitness, experience and judgement and how quickly conditions can change.

Our callout numbers tell the story:

147 in 2020
237 in 2021
233 in 2022
308 in 2023
327 in 2024
359 in 2025
Around 440 projected in 2026.

This trend is not sustainable.

The answer cannot simply be more Mountain Rescue. There has to be greater focus on prevention and personal responsibility.

We will always respond when someone genuinely needs our help. The bigger question now is: how do we stop so many people from needing help in the first place?

Enjoy the mountains but please try to understand the environment you are entering and if the terrain or conditions don’t feel right, turn around.

08/09/2026

06/09/2026

Another 5 members of the team passed the RRMT (Remote Rescue Medical Technician) course at Glenmore Lodge earlier today, including brand new full team member David, who we think is the youngest civilian RRMT in the country!.

Congratulations to all, and big thanks to team members Rhona, Neil and Richard for helping prepare and assess the group.

01/09/2026

Callouts 31, 32 & 33 of 2026 - 29/8/26

Yes, you read that right - it's been a while since we mobilised three times in a single day. Phew.

Callout 31

After being contacted by Police Scotland at 1151hrs, the team headed to the MTB trails at Caddon Bank (Innerleithen) to assist an injured young biker. The casualty had a lower leg injury. TVMRT worked closely with Scottish Ambulance Service to assess, package and extract. The casualty was in an ambulance and the job wound down by 1350hrs. A great job by Katie who discovered the rider and made the 999 call (remember: call 999 and ask for Police and Mountain Rescue).

Callout 32

Soon after standing down from job 31, the team were again called out at 1530hrs to attend an adult male MTB rider at Glentress with head, neck and shoulder injuries. After some initial confusion, the casualty was located in the network of new trails above the trailhead. Again working alongside SAS, the casualty was in an ambulance by 1700hrs.

Callout 33

As we were packing up kit from #32, a member of the public advised us of another incident nearby. After a search, the casualty was located in the campsite and thankfully no medical assistance was required. Done and dusted by 1750hrs.

As ever, best wishes for a swift recovery to all our customers.

We are fundraising at the moment and are looking for the mountain biking communities help - the 'Give us a Quid' appeal is really helping us out here. If every mountain biker hitting the trails in our area - Tweed Valley - punts us £1 once a year (or every time you ride here), the team would be in a much better position.

It costs us c. £60k/year to run the team.

Currently we have an appeal going for a new drone for our drone unit (vital equipment for searching for missing people) and will be shortly starting to raise funds for a new vehicle garage in Innerleithen, in an ideal location to better serve the mountain biking community.

Donate here:
https://www.justgiving.com/charity/tweedvalleymrt

28/08/2026

Today is International Mountain Rescue Day. On this date in 1948, mountain rescue pioneers from different countries gathered at the Wilden Kaiser at the invitation of the Austrian Alpine Club. They exchanged knowledge, shared experiences, and laid the foundation for what would become ICAR – the International Commission for Alpine Rescue

A massive thank you to all our volunteers, all the team members who go out on callouts and the considerable number who help in numerous other ways, on and off the hill including families and friends, and all the people who support us in any way.

(Photo is from 2022 when the team received the Queen's Platinum Jubilee medals).

13/07/2026

Callouts 25 & 26 of 2026 - 12/7/26

A busy day in the Borders sunshine for the team yesterday with two callouts in the same day.

Callout 25

The team were called out to the 'usual spot' at Glentress to assist an injured young mountain biker. After initial treatment at the trailside, the casualty was evacuated on a stretcher up the hill to the waiting Scottish Ambulance Service ambulance.

Callout 26

As we were standing-down from #25 and second callout came in for a walker with a hip injury near Traquair. Team members were quickly on scene and with a combination of scoping and local knowledge were able to help get the ambulance close to the casualty location and thus reduce what was looking like a lengthy stretcher carry.

Best wishes to both of the casualties for a swift recovery and we hope to see you back out on the trails soon.

Police Scotland Lothians & Scottish Borders
Scottish Mountain Rescue
Scottish Ambulance Service