Members of the North Dartmoor Search and Rescue team (NDSART) are organising a marathon challenge to raise awareness of mental health issues and the increasing number of callouts attended by Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW) teams up and down the country to those in extreme distress.

Through the Darkness run, due to take place this July, challenges participants to complete as many laps of a 12km course over Dartmoor, over a 12-hour period between 6 pm and 6 am, to raise awareness of the ‘darker side’ of mountain rescue.

The challenge is for everyone. The aim is to complete as many laps as you can between 6 pm on July 1 and 6 am on July 2, 2023.

Participants will be pushing through the darkness and into the light, reflecting those going through darker times of mental health struggles, but knowing there will be lighter times ahead.

All money raised will be split equally amongst all MREW teams, as all teams nationwide are dealing increasingly with those in mental health crises. The more money raised, the more your team will get, so please spread the word!

Mountain Rescue is often associated with the emergency services helping those lost and injured on the moor, mountains, countryside and difficult locations. Members are finding themselves increasingly called out to incidents to help people with severe emotional distress, for some teams these incidents account for half of all callouts in 2021.

Sadly, 30 per cent of callouts, teams didn’t reach in time and increasingly recovering loved ones, not rescuing them, and this has a huge impact on the mental health of all those involved.

Being regularly exposed to potentially distressing experiences doubtlessly has an effect on mental health and well-being. Mountain Rescue England and Wales members are doing this on a voluntary basis, often having to switch back into ‘normal life mode’ immediately after a callout, without the space to process these distressing events.

The general public has very little knowledge of this darker side of mountain rescue work, often imagining the “cool” ropes access, swift water rescue and working with helicopters. However, this is only a small part of the picture for those volunteers who attend callouts.

Mountain Rescue England and Wales are endeavouring to raise awareness through the “So Much More Than Mountains” campaign to highlight this.

For more information about Through the Darkness or to book a place visit: www.throughthedarkness.co.uk.