In this series of team member interviews, we find out more about what makes our volunteers tick. For our second interview, we talk to Craig Scollick, a team member for over 10 years.

What is your role within the team and what does it involve?

I’m a Hill Party Leader – that means I’m one of a number of our volunteers who has gone through the Hill Party Leader training and is in charge of a team of volunteers during a callout. After we’ve arrived at a callout our search managers will be briefed by the Police and friends or family of the person(s) we are looking for. Based on the information they receive they will allocate search areas and then divide our volunteers into teams to carry out searches in those areas.
I’m also a member of the Hasty Team which is a small group within the rescue team who are regular runners and enjoy running on Dartmoor in all conditions. We offer the search managers the opportunity to deploy a small fast moving team of fell runners with light packs to quickly check moorland paths or rapidly go to a casualty if they are at a known location. Typically our hasty team members have also passed their Mountain Rescue Casualty Care qualification and can assess and stabilise an individual before the main team or a helicopter arrives.

When did you join DSRTA and why?

My family and I moved to Devon in 2006 and after a lifetime of climbing and hill-walking with friends I thought that joining DSRTA would be a great way of giving back and also meeting like minded people.

Tell us about your day job?

I’m the director of a small management consultancy business where we offer project and programme management to our clients. This means that I spend most of my time in an office either talking to people or looking at plans and spreadsheets. Periodically I also get the chance to swap the office for Dartmoor and help teach and assess individuals for national hill-walking qualifications.

Do you have any other hobbies or interests?

With a busy job, a wife, 3 school age children and my involvement in DSRTA there isn’t a lot of time for much else. I do however try to stay fit for the times when I do get the chance to go climbing or hill-walking. As my children have been working their way through the sections in the local scout group my wife and I also help out at scout camps and other scout events.

Choose 5 words which best describe your experiences with DSRTA

Rewarding, challenging, exciting, inclusive & addictive.
Where is your favourite part of Dartmoor and why?
Now that’s a hard question…I really like the more remote parts of the moor, or at least the parts that feel that way. I’d say the area around the middle of the south moor from Ryder’s Hill in the north to Three Barrows in the south and bounded on the west by Erme plains and the east by Grippers Hill. I love the quiet in this area and I’m always surprised and intrigued by both the ancient and the industrial archaeology.

Jam or Cream first?

Has to be cream – is there another way?

The Rolling Stones or The Beetles?

Having seen them at a gig in Manchester it has to be the stones.

Team Nickname?

Affectionately known as ‘Futbrudge’ pronounced in an outrageously bad Scottish accent.

Many thanks Craig.