Mother thanks Mournes team for rescuing her son

Mother thanks Mournes team for rescuing her son

1 October 2025

THE mother of a young man who was rescued after falling in the Mournes on Saturday afternoon has thanked the emergency services.

Her son was part of a large group of people taking part in a Duke of Edinburgh exercise with the woman describing the weather conditions at the time as “unsuitable”.

Mourne Mountain Rescue Team volunteers responded to an emergency call just before 12.40pm to assist the young man who was part of a youth group.

He sustained a serious leg injury while walking on Slieve Loughshannagh and after he was assessed and treated, he was placed on a stretcher and carried by rescue team volunteers to a team vehicle and transported to a sheltered area until an ambulance transfer was available.

His mother posted on social media: “Thank you to you all for assisting my son yesterday. 

“He went up there as part of a large group for his Duke of Edinburgh. Conditions weren’t suitable for an expedition. He’s home with possible ligament damage, but nothing broken.”

Twelve rescue team members who responded to the alert were stood down shortly before 9.10pm.

During Saturday’s alert, the rescue team received second call in at the same time to assist a disoriented walker in the area around the Hare’s Castle.

But the situation was resolved when the walker managed to make his way to a road as the volunteers were planning a response.

On Sunday evening, the rescue team received a call at 8pm to assist two walkers who had become disoriented and gone off line descending Slieve Donard towards the Bloody Bridge.

Unable to get their bearings amongst whins, bracken and unstable ground, they sensibly called for assistance. 

Having discussed their location by phone, two rescue members went up to meet and escort them of the hill to safety and stood down at 9.30pm.

The walkers did have a head torch and as autumn draws in and night falls increasingly early, the rescue team has warned that the chances of a long walk ending in darkness are high.

The advice is to visit https://www.mournemrt.org/mountain-safety/ before heading out.

Meanwhile, work is underway on the rescue team’s new ultra-modern base and education centre in Newcastle.

The team’s new carbon neutral home is being built on land donated by supermarket giant Lidl in Newcastle which adjoins Donard Park at the foothills of the Mournes.

Rescue team officials worked closely with Lidl to complete the finer detail of a 999-year lease which has now been agreed with the site in the rescue team’s ownership, with construction work expected to take around 34 weeks to complete.

At the start of this year, the rescue team revealed that it had reached its goal of securing over £1m to build the new centre at Shanslieve Drive.

Community fundraising has generated a phenomenal £750,000 to date while the Community Ownership Fund provided £500,000.

The dedicated and highly trained volunteers are out in all weathers and work in the most difficult and challenging of conditions, playing a critical role to play in rescuing people who get into difficulty in the Mournes.

As work on the new base continues, the rescue team is turning its attention to the past, with long serving member, Dave Goddard, currently pulling together an comprehensive history of the team.

He wants to hear from anyone former members whose relatives were rescued or those who have a story to tell about the impact the team has had on the lives of loved ones or people they know.

Dave is the rescue team’s longest-serving member and has been affectionately described a museum piece and intrinsic part of a team which launched in 1962.