Mountain Rescue operations often take place in remote locations and this absolutely applies to Lochaber. We have large areas that we need to visit on a frequent basis with no mobile phone signal that are many miles from our base. This is where our mobile control van comes into play, with satellite communication options to speak to other agencies, such as the Coastguard, and our base.

We currently have an aging, four-wheel drive, Transit van which we'd like to replace. As part of this process, we will be making various upgrades to assist the function of the team, but the main reason for this project is that the vehicle is approaching the end of its usable life.

The vehicle also doubles as our ambulance, providing a resource for transporting injured people safely to either meet our colleagues from the Scottish Ambulance Service at the public road, or transporting them directly to hospital in some scenarios.

It also carries equipment that is essential to us carrying out our services, such as a stretcher, climbing ropes, and medical equipment.

The projected cost of £120,000 includes purchasing a suitable 4WD van and commissioning a bespoke conversion to tailor it to our needs.