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Mountain rescue teams give reaction to Kinloss closure

Willie Anderson, Cairngorm Mountain Rescue
Willie Anderson, Cairngorm Mountain Rescue

The leader of one of the north’s busiest mountain rescue teams has said he is concerned about the loss of local knowledge when the Moray co-ordination centre closes.

Willie Anderson, leader of Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team, said his team had built up a close relationship with staff at Kinloss Barracks and expressed concern about the decision to operate a national base from Fareham.

However, John Stevenson, leader at Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, said he hoped the move wouldn’t make much difference to operations on the group.

The centre co-ordinates RAF, Royal Navy and Coastguard search and rescue helicopters, working with police and the civilian mountain rescue teams on operations.

Mr Anderson said that the move was a “very poor decision”.

He said: “I think we’ll feel the loss of the local connection. We’ve built up a good relationship with Kinloss over a long period of time and it’ll take a while to replace that.

“They’ve got a good local knowledge of the Cairngorms and where the hot spots are and what we can do in different areas, so we’ll be losing that aspect of what they can do.

“I’ve got to say, I think it’s a very poor decision.”

He added: “I always thought that when the UK search and rescue privatisation contract was up for grabs that the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre might be moved so it’s not a surprise.

“You just wonder if they’re covering the whole of the UK how they’ll be able to manage that.”

However, Mr Stevenson said that he hoped it wouldn’t make too much difference to his team’s work.

He said: “I don’t think that ARCC moving will make that much difference to what we do to be honest with you.

“We deal with the police and they are the ones who call in air support if we need it. All of these places talk to each other already so I would hope it wouldn’t make that much of a difference.”