Welcome to Bolton Mountain Rescue Team
Bolton Mountain Rescue Team is a voluntary search and rescue charity and a member of Mountain Rescue England and Wales that represents 49 teams. Bolton MRT is made up entirely of volunteers who are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
We cover an area of over 800 square kilometres extending from Darwen in the West Pennine Moors to the north to beyond Manchester Airport in the south, and from Wigan to the west to the centre of Manchester in the east.
Bolton Mountain Rescue Team
The chances are you will never need our services. However, since 1968, a great many have. Our callouts are diverse. For example, we help walkers, runners, bikers, climbers and even dogs that have found themselves in a precarious position. We also search for members of the public who are missing outside of urban areas, particularly those classed as vulnerable by the police.
It costs around £60,000 per year to run the team. Securing this amount of money each year is a constant challenge. We rely on the generosity of the public and other organisations who provide us with donations. Visit the donations page to learn more about how you can help raise money for the team.
Latest News
💛 Did you know?
Last year, Bolton MRT members volunteered the equivalent of 470 days of their time?
Our year began on New Year’s Day, supporting the emergency services during flooding in South Manchester. That first call-out lasted 13 hours — and set the tone for a busy year helping people across the region, from Wigan to Darwen, to Stockport.
2025 in numbers:
🚨 51 call-outs
⏱️ 1,932 incident hours
🎓 5,012 training hours
👥 11,288 total volunteer hours — 470 days
Every team member is on call 24/7, 365 days a year, and it costs around £60,000 annually to keep us ready to save lives.
If you can support our work, please consider donating using the button below. Every contribution helps.
Last week, members of our Support and Operational Team had the pleasure of collecting a donation from Liz, Barry, and Alison at Ye Jolly Crofters in Horwich. The Jolly Crofters raised an amazing £1,000 at the Christmas market they hosted in December, bringing their total fundraising for the team to over £6,000.
Everyone at Bolton MRT would like to say a huge thank you to Jolly Crofters and to everyone who attended last year’s Christmas market and helped support the team.
We’re a little late publishing this post; however, our final call-out of 2025 came on 31st of December.
Bolton MRT were called to assist a fallen horse-rider on farmland near Tyldesley. Our team worked alongside NWAS colleagues to provide care for, and to extricate, the casualty after she reported severe pain in the pelvic region. After extrication, the casualty was transported to Salford Royal for further treatment.
We wish her the very best and good luck with her recovery.
On Call 24 Hours
Search & Rescue
Event Safety Cover
In case of an emergency, DIAL 999, ask for ‘Police’ then ‘Mountain Rescue’
Give all your prepared details of the incident and ‘STAY WHERE YOU ARE’ until contacted by the rescue team.
If you have to make a further 999 call, follow this procedure in full again.