Galloway MRT Base

In April 2008 an unprecedented decision was announced by Dumfries and Galloway Council to sell the former Newton Stewart Ambulance Station to the Order of St. John, on behalf of the team, for a truly remarkable sum of £1. This announcement resulted from considerable local support from the Cree Valley Community Council and a decision by Galloway Area Committee to sell the property at below the recommended survey valuation.

Such a sale of property, below market value, was so unusual that the council decision required ratification by the Scottish Government - thankfully this has been endorsed and we currently await completion of legal missives.

Once we take ownership of the property, the Order of St. John have agreed to invest money in upgrading and refurbishing the building to convert it into a serviceable mountain rescue base.

The building was originally the town's fire station, meaning it has been occupied by three separate emergency services in it's lifespan to date. The team are absolutely delighted with the prospect of having a permanent 'home' removing our need to borrow space at Newton Stewart police station. We will, by geographical necessity, be retaining our unit based at Castle Douglas Police Station. Due to our series of existing hilltop repeaters, it is hoped that the new base can be utilised as a planning base for the majority of our incidents in the Galloway Hills.

The Order of St. John provide support for mountain rescue teams throughout Scotland, including the building or purchase of rescue bases and the provision of vehicles. In addition to our new base, they also purchased and provided our VW Caravelle minibus