Meet the North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team

Nadia Allan: joined in 2018, day job – Acute Medicine Doctor

Rachel Smith: team member for 15 years, day job – Secondary School, Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Coordinator (SENCo.)

Gemma Thompson: joined in 2016, day job – Junior doctor

Karen Pickering: joined the team 20 years ago, day job – Paramedic

Toni Harkness: one full year, day job – Advanced Nurse Practitioner

Helena Sansum: joined in 2017, day job – Co-owner of First Aid training business

Nadia: When life gets too busy or stressful, I know that getting out into the hills will always calm me down. After qualifying as a doctor, I became interested in the challenges of delivering medicine in remote and rural environments. By joining the North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team, I was able to develop this interest and help keep the hills safe for people like me who love to be outdoors. Working a shift rota, occasionally you have to decide that actually today you just can’t make that call out, but it is hard not to feel guilty about it.

Gemma: I love running on the fells and had been very grateful knowing Mountain Rescue would be there if I needed them. I saw the local team providing first aid cover at one of my running club’s events and decided it was time to give something back.  

Toni: I used to be in the armed forces when I was younger and then in the reserves. I missed the team spirit of this type of organization. I also love the outdoors and this is a way of doing what I enjoy but also being part of a team and supporting the local community.

Rach: I am not sure – haha. My school has always been supportive of what I do, and the students are very interested in it, but I need to balance carefully, so sometimes I am unable to attend call-outs during school hours. I live with my partner and he is our Chairman, a search controller and ex-team leader, so we are in this together, he has a 13-year-old daughter and she is as involved as we are sometimes! You have to include family in what you do to ensure there is a balance, as a team, we have opportunities for our families to join us in fundraising events and we hold social events such as a team bbq, Christmas night out, camping trips, and some even holiday together – the ski social!

Gemma: I have two amazing young boys (Isaac who is 8 months old and William who is 4). They and my partner Paul often come with me for mountain rescue training and when the team covers sports events. Especially while I have been breastfeeding, I really rely on my partner and the boys supporting me so I can still train and participate in the team activities. 

Helena: Running our own business affords some degree of flexibility, and evenings and weekends tend to be free, which is when more callouts occur. My partner is also a member of the team, and the team’s Medical Officer, so when we get called out, attend training or a committee meeting, it’s something that we do together, and not feel guilty about spending too much time away! The hard part of being a rescue team member is that it can impact how much you see your friends, family, or just how much pure fun stuff in the mountains you get to do. But on the flip side of that, the team is very social and I’ve made lots of good friends.

Nadia: A couple of years ago I went winter mountaineering in Scotland and failed to notice that I’d had very cold and painful toes for a while, I had stopped feeling my big toe about halfway through the day. Thankfully I only said goodbye to the nail and not the whole toe, but it was a real reminder to me that nature can be pretty unforgiving. Even when you are prepared and have the gear, a plan, and some pretty experienced mates, you need to be constantly aware and assessing the situation to make sure you haven’t forgotten things… like your toes.

Rach: Despite the skills and experiences, I still get apprehensive at heights. My partner is more experienced than I and when he suggested we summit the Breithorn in Zermatt, I was absolutely up for that challenge. We had all the gear, we had walked in and around Zermatt previously, including Hornlihut and Monta Rosa but when we got to the top of the Breithorn I needed to close my eyes and couldn’t look over the edge!  It’s not that I didn’t belong, but that I was definitely at the edge of my comfort, even though I was so proud to have achieved it.

Karen: I lived in New Zealand for a few years. When out on a mountaineering trip in the snowy hills, we got caught out in the bad weather and were trapped there camping for a few days. When we eventually walked out I had a “sliding-down-a-steep-snowy-mountainside incident” and couldn’t stop. I slid for a looooong way but did eventually stop when I remembered I had an ice axe in my hand. I was head to toe in snow and still had to walk off the mountain. I got cold. I now have frostnip in both my thumbs and the end of my fingers which freeze up every time it gets a bit nippy. A sharp learning curve that day!

Rach: Preparation and ensuring I have the correct equipment is the way to avoid this, and not being afraid to turn back or give up if external factors are too significant. When I am challenged mentally I actually sing certain songs in my head – this is something I developed as a teenager when completing DofE expeditions. Safety is paramount and must be considered at every step, this includes before you leave the house for the journey.  

Gemma: Keeping fit and training is important. I live next to the sea and so it's pretty flat.  We seek out hills and run up and down them a lot! Having the right kit and preparing for potential problems is key.  

Karen: Lots and lots of preparation. If I know where I’m going and don’t get lost during the first 500 meters, I know it’s going to be a good day.

Gemma: Do it!! It’s absolutely fantastic.

Karen: Get some earplugs. 

Toni: I find the team very inclusive and not intimidating at all, the team members are very respectful and the women are particularly supportive of each other. Everyone has different skill sets and personalities to bring to the team and all are important. My best advice would be to volunteer for some events first, then you can see what we do, meet and talk to different members of the team, and see what it's all about. It is a big commitment and you need to be safe to manage on the hill independently prior to joining. Also, if you have family they need to be supportive too as you will need their care and support and they might not see so much of you. However, it is very rewarding.

Photos by Nadir Khan