Join the team

We recruit new hill-going volunteers roughly every 18 months.

Team members in red jackets, some holding helmets and maps, gathered beside the team's Land Rover Discovery on moorland at dusk, with a search dog

Joining a mountain rescue team is a big commitment — and one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do. You’ll learn skills for life, become part of a close-knit team, and make a real difference to people on the worst day of their lives.

Recruitment status

Closed. We are not recruiting new team members at the moment.

We recruit roughly every 18 months. Register your interest and we’ll tell you when applications open.

Last updated: October 2026

Hill-going team members

Two team members in harnesses on a steep rock slab

We recruit new operational members roughly every 18 months. We’re looking for people who:

  • are aged 18 or over and in good health, with a good level of hill fitness;
  • have plenty of experience walking on open moorland in all weathers, including at night;
  • can navigate confidently with a map and compass;
  • live or work close enough to reach our base near Penistone, on the Barnsley–Kirklees border, or our area quickly;
  • can commit to weekly training and respond to incidents at any time of day or night;
  • have the support of their family and, ideally, their employer;
  • work well as part of a team and stay calm under pressure.

You don’t need any rescue or medical experience — we’ll teach you. What we can’t teach is the commitment.

What happens next

  1. Register your interest using the form below, then apply when recruitment opens. We’ll tell you directly, and announce it here and on our social media.
  2. Assessment — a hill day to check navigation and fitness, and an informal interview.
  3. Trainee — you start on our first training module, learning the core skills: navigation, searching, casualty care, stretcher handling and working safely on the hill.
  4. Probationer — you go on call and attend incidents alongside experienced members, while you complete further training and build up operational experience.
  5. Full member — when you are ready, the full team votes on accepting you. Full members receive the red mountain rescue jacket and have a vote on team decisions.

From your first training night to full membership usually takes up to 18 months. Read more about the operational team and the specialist roles you can go on to.

Not a hill-goer? We still need you

Not everyone who helps us goes out on the hill. Our supporters group helps with fundraising events, street collections, admin, the shop and much more. If you have a few hours to spare, we’d love to hear from you.

Register your interest

Whether you want to join as a hill-going team member or help as a supporter, fill in the form and we’ll get in touch when we next recruit. It takes a couple of minutes.

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