Early this morning, Bolton MRT team members Mike Marsh and Gyles Denn journeyed across the Irish Sea as guests of IMRA, to take part as invited guest lecturers on this years IMRA Party Leader Training Course weekend.

The IMRA course modelled upon and developed from the Mountain Rescue (England and Wales) National Party Leaders Course, (itself in turn developed from the regional MPSRO Party Leaders Course !) took place at Larch Hill Scout Camp, on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland.

Running over the entire weekend, and including both class room and practical party leasdership exercises, the course attracted some 32 student party leaders from virtually all the Mountain Rescue Teams in Ireland, from both sides of the border, with excellent instruction from experienced IMRA MRT constituent team members and with appearances from both the IMRA Chairman and the IMRA Developement Officer. (The latter somewhat unique when compared to the UK MR organisation, in that this is full time paid post.)

Very experienced Bolton MRT member Mike Marsh is no stranger to this Irish Course, having guest lectured on it now on three seperate occasions, his link with the course coming about from his role as organiser of the Mountain Rescue (England and Wales) National Party Leaders Course.

For Bolton MRT team member Gyles Denn it was his first invite to the course as a guest lecturer, where (with his full time job outside MR as a Forensic Toxicologist coming into play) he presented a session on Forensic Awareness in Mountain Rescue Operations.

Both our members commented how friendly and welcoming their colleagues within the IMRA Mountain Rescue teams had been over this very interesting, informative and hard working weekend, and both look forward to invites onto IMRAs 2008 course. (The free flowing Guiness having absolutely nothing at all to do with this thought !)