Fundraising and Events

Fundraising: A major activity for team members

The Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team was established back in 1984. At that time the team operated on a “shoe string” budget. We had very little money. Our main source of funding was the grant we received from the National Co-ordinating Committee for Mountain and Cave Rescue (N.C.C.) of the Department of the Environment. Over the years our grant from the N.C.C. has greatly increased, but nowadays 75% of it goes on insurance.

It costs in the region of €45,000 - €50,000 to run the team every year. These costs are based on insurance policies, vehicle running costs for our 2 vehicles (insurance, servicing, maintenance), communications (Phones, Pagers, Radios) etc.

Money management is a very vital role for our team Treasurer and team Committee. Although we may be a voluntary organisation, we must still adopt a business approach to our affairs. We must account for all our sources of income and expenditure and as a Team; we have personally adopted a policy to have our accounts audited every year. We also ensure we comply with the conditions set out by the Revenue Commissioners, to ensure we retain our charitable status. We provide Revenue with a copy of our audited accounts every year for their records.

Budgets and targets are set at the start of every year and reviewed at our monthly committee meetings to ensure we are on track. We don’t take money for granted and understand if we need to purchase/replace any equipment or send our team members on training courses, then we need to fundraise to raise the money required, and we put our heads down to make it happen.

The Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team is a voluntary 112/999 rescue service, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, responding to those who find themselves lost and or injured in the mountains.

Team members dedicate a lot of their time responding to on average 50 callouts a year, this breaks down to roughly one a week. On top of this we attend scheduled training twice a month (with every team member having to meet a certain attendance level to remain a full active team member), some team members attend committee business, we have internal and external training courses, we have team members responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of vehicles and equipment, we have national meetings to attend etc. This is a lot of time dedicated by a group of volunteers; add into the equation fundraising just to make up the balance required to cover our general running costs of €45,000 - €50,000. This to me is dedication.

Now, when we need to replace equipment or send team members on training courses, and bearing in mind these are vital for the better of those we rescue, then the money has to be found. This means more fundraising and more time given by team members to raise the money required when we would prefer dedicating this time to our training.

However, the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team are lucky in that we have different groups and individuals who donate towards us. We have walking/running clubs who support us whenever they can by running a fundraiser or by just making a donation. We also have a group of “Friends of Mountain Rescue”, who pay an annual subscription and in return are kept informed of how the Team are doing and on up and coming events etc. We have also received donations from people who have found themselves in the unfortunate position of requiring our assistance.

To all of these people, we say thank you. Thank you for your continued support and backing.

We also have the backing of our main sponsor The Great Outdoors. For a number of years they have continued to support us in any way they can especially when it comes to equipment. To see sponsors. Click Here

Grants are also very important to our Team and when successful can help us purchase and update equipment, and or send team members on training courses. If you know of any grant or funding which we could apply for, please contact us to let us know. See list below of grant aid received over the past couple of years. Click Here

Every year the team hold a couple of flag day/street collections. In June we hold a collection in and around the Wicklow Hills and in November we hold a collection in City Centre. These collections are a good means of income but require the dedication and commitment of our team members to attend them to ensure they are a success. They also allow us to raise our profile and meet some of the people who have been rescued by us or who have come to show us their support.

We also have a number of collection boxes placed in stores and businesses around Wicklow and Dublin. To see the list of locations where you can donate. Click Here

The Team also have large fundraising projects continuously on the go. One of these is raising funds with a view to replacing our ageing vehicles. The team has 2 vehicles, one is a 4x4 (this is our first response vehicle) and the other is a transit van (this is our command and operations vehicle). To ensure they remain as emergency vehicles, they must not exceed 10 years of age. We are continuously seeking grants or donations to help fund these vehicles.

Another current project is after 24 years in existence, the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team finally found somewhere to call home in 2008 in the form of a room attached to Roundwood Garda Station. This to us was one of our proudest moments. However we have bigger dreams and would like to build on and develop this to provide us with the means of equipment storage, training facilities, operations and communications room, a drying facility to prolong the lives of our equipment, sheltered parking to promote the lives of our vehicles etc. This however is a massive undertaking and means we require a large boost of income to facilitate our dreams. If you can help in anyway please see below on how to make a donation etc.

As members of the team we do not receive any payment whatsoever for the services we provide. This is a question we are often asked. Unlike other agencies providing a rescue service, nobody in mountain rescue receives a salary, wages or any other type of payment. In fact, it actually costs us not only in relation to time but also financially to be a member. We pay our own travel and wear and tear costs on our vehicles to and from training and callouts. The team if they are successful with grant aids, provide us with PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as raingear and helmets, all other equipment such as boots etc is covered by each team member themselves. Some team members may also have to take annual leave if they find themselves on a callout during a weekday.

Are you entitled to tax relief on your donation to the Team?

If you are thinking of making a donation to the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team, you may well be entitled to tax relief. Under Section 848a of the Taxes Consolidation Act, the Revenue Commissioners provide for relief either to the person making the payment or to the charity receiving the payment once they are a registered charity with Revenue. Our charity number is 10148.

To learn more about your donation and if relief is due, please Click Here

How to make a donation to the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team

By Post

Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team.

Roundwood Garda Station,

Roundwood,

Co Wicklow.

By PayPal

Log onto the Teams PayPal page. Click Here

Lodge directly to our Bank Account

            Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team

            AIB

            107/108 Main Street

            Bray

            Co Wicklow

            Account Number: 08080020

            Sort Code: 93-34-81

Collection Boxes

Drop into one of the locations where our collection boxes are placed.

To see locations ofcollection boxes. Click Here