Grangemouth petrochemical giant donates £15,000 to mountain rescue team

From their base at Fishcross, near Alloa, the OMRT are a group of volunteers whose purpose is to locate and recover people who have found themselves in difficulties in the outdoors. They are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in any weather conditions, to provide such support, using specialist helicopters and search dogs when appropriate.

The OMRT also deliver workshops on mountain safety in the local area.

To help them continue their essential life-saving work, the OMRT applied for and recently received a donation from the INEOS Community Fund to kit out the team in

waterproof technical clothing, as this is an essential part of maintaining their ability to provide an appropriate response in the hills.

The Scottish Mountains are well-known for their potentially treacherous weather conditions and it can take a long time to locate lost climbers so mountain rescuers have to be able to rely on their clothing to keep them safe, warm and dry.

Simon Randfield, OMRT deputy team leader, said: “Our purpose is to save lives, which we seek to achieve by assisting the police, emergency services and other agencies in search and rescue of missing persons primarily in Central Scotland and by encouraging safe practices in the hills.

“Each of our team members requires a helmet, climbing harness, waterproofs, amongst other essential clothing and equipment, to carry out lifesaving work. We are grateful for this contribution to fund our new technical clothing, helping us to achieve our purpose.”

Ineos Chemicals Grangemouth CEO Stuart Collings said: “Ineos has recognised the important role of the OMRT in the local community close to our manufacturing operations in Grangemouth and we are proud to help them during their time of need to keep people safe whilst enjoying the wonderful landscapes right on our doorstep.”

The £1m Ineos Community Fund was established in March 2020 to support the local communities around the company’s 194 sites, initially to help people deal with and recover from the social challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.