An Cosantóir

20 | glen of Imaal Moonlight Challenge 2011 BY HUGH MCLINDON (PRO GLEN OF IMAAL RED CROSS MRT) team arrived at the Rescue Base a little after 12.30am marking the end of last year's Moonlight Challenge. Essentially, the biggest event that we have run in recent years ended with all participants and marshals safely off the hills. Not only that, but all teams but one com- pleted the full 26km challenge. With the success of this event and the positive feedback means that we will hold the challenge again on Saturday 12th No- vember 2011. At the end of the last years chal- A lenge, participants were fed and wa- tered in what will be the garage space for the Rescue vehicles – the lower stone faced part of the structure. This year we'll be able to increase the level of comfort available to finishers. The structure of the timber-framed upper level is complete, and the internal work is well under way. There's a large training room, operations room, kitchen, office, showers and toilets. The solar collectors are up and run- ning, the heating system is in place and working. Landscaping around the building has been planned to include native wildflowers, trees and a memo- rial garden. The Glen Team would not be able to achieve this remarkable feat without the assistance of the community in An Cosantóir October 2011 wonderful moment for the Glen of Imaal Red Cross Mountain Rescue Team was when the final general, and particularly the hill-walk- ing community. For those who want to help out, the Moonlight Challenge event is a way to support us and to have a really enjoyable and memo- rable evening under the night sky. Last year, Moonlight Challenge teams comprised of anything up to six people - there were the 'Dodgy knees', the 'Lost Girls', the 'Happy Penguins', 'Wild Wicklow Walkers' and many more. There were solo runners, solo walkers, teams of postal work- ers, teams from the Defence Forces, actuaries, Search and Rescue Dogs Assoc members, participants in their twenties and in their seventies. The at- mosphere was really great - everyone was buzzing. The route itself looked like a candlelit or torch-lit procession through the mountains. The effect was truly spectacular, and my only regret is that we didn't get any really great shots of the daisy-chain of head-torch- es strung along the Wicklow Way. This beautiful, surreal view was visible for miles on the night due to the weather conditions. To prove that the gods were with us (or the organising team is better than I realised), even when the drizzle began, teams came in to the finish saying how much they en- joyed the cooling effect of the rain! When the final tally came in, partici- pants had collected just over €35,000 - every cent going to the construction of the Base. To achieve this figure the 300 people registered collected a little over €100 each. The Rescue Team is indebted to all of the participants who not only enjoyed themselves on the Moonlight Challenge (visit our facebook page for comments - www.facebook.com/Gleno- fImaalMR), but took the time and energy to gather sponsorship before and after the event. To view last year's Moonlight challenge report please visit our website at: www.wicklowmountainrescue.ie/ moonlightchallenge and follow the link. In 2010, the Glen of Imaal Red Cross Mountain Rescue Team helped 96 people on 66 incidents, and as one of the busier teams in the country, we believe that the new Mountain Rescue Base will be more of a necessity than a luxury for the Glen Team. Mountain rescue is a voluntary emergency service - available to assist anyone in trouble on the hills anytime of the day or night, and the Rescue Base will be a key asset for the team moving forward as the numbers of incidents increase steadily every year. Pre-registration is essential and can be done via our website or send an email to fog@wmr.ie. The registration fee is €25 per person, and we ask people to raise €75 sponsorship (€100 total). All funds go directly to the building of the Mountain Rescue Base. For more infor- mation on the Glen team, please visit us online at www.wicklowmountainres- cue.ie or www.glenteam.ie

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