Rescue Benevolent Fund

Introducing our new partner in mental wellbeing: Rightsteps

Judy Whiteside — Wed, 20 May 2026 17:28:05 +0000

In January 2026, we were delighted to announce that we had added a new ‘partner’ organisation to the portfolio of wellbeing support that the Rescue Benevolent Fund can offer to mountain and cave rescue team members and their families. Rightsteps joins Togetherall and The Fire Fighters Charity and broadens our offering to bring specialist, tailored…

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The power of sleep: Why we need it and how to get it

Judy Whiteside — Wed, 20 May 2026 16:40:29 +0000

Sleep isn’t just about the number of hours of shuteye we get each night, but the quality of sleep we get can have a significant impact on our overall health. From the archive: Mountain Rescue Magazine Issue 95, January 2026. Togetherall, in association with the Rescue Benevolent Fund How much sleep do you really need?…

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Understanding what we mean by ‘trauma’

Judy Whiteside — Tue, 19 May 2026 18:02:29 +0000

Trauma is defined as ‘an emotional and psychological response to deeply distressing or life-threatening events that overwhelm an individual’s ability to cope’ (Mind, 2026). As a concept, it feels as if it has fully entered the consciousness of the mainstream and terms like ‘trauma dumping’, ‘generational trauma’ and ‘vicarious trauma’ can be found across social…

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Slow down and smell the coffee

Judy Whiteside — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 17:04:40 +0000

Are you always in a hurry, impatient in queues and flying off the handle at the slightest thing? Are you driven by a need to succeed and feel stressed-out most of the time? Find out how to take time to slow down, ‘be present’ and enjoy life. From the archive: Mountain Rescue Magazine, Issue 94,…

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Suicide: The call you don’t hear

Judy Whiteside — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:53:43 +0000

Writing on World Suicide Prevention Day (Wednesday 10 September), Kinder MRT member and Rescue Benevolent Fund ambassador Matt Field, looked back almost twenty years to the struggles that twice brought him to the edge… From the archive: Mountain Rescue Magazine, Issue 94, Autumn 2025. That truth often stops people. They expect accounts of rescues, crag…

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Are we all just kind of lonely?

Judy Whiteside — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 11:20:54 +0000

How to manage feelings of loneliness and isolation… It can feel odd talking about loneliness when it’s easier for us to connect with others now than at any other time in history. However, the means of connecting have changed, and some of the most popular options are designed to encourage comparison to others. From the…

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Guiding Principles for Wellbeing from both UKSAR and ICAR

Judy Whiteside — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 10:26:07 +0000

UKSAR and ICAR have both produced guidance for teams and team members in looking after the wellbeing of their team members. These two articles summarise the full documents. From the archives: Mountain Rescue Magazine Issue 93, July 2025. Five Guiding Principles for Emergency Response Volunteer Wellbeing In 2023, the UKSAR Mental Health and Wellbeing Work…

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Heart Rate Variability: what it is and how we can influence it

Judy Whiteside — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 18:24:44 +0000

Alan Littlefield was one of our keynote speakers at the conference in September. He spoke about building trusting teams and introduced the concept of positively affecting our HRV by deploying the BREATHE skill, to improve both our individual and our team performance. The breathing bit, it has to be said, inspired a degree of scepticism…

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Introducing our new application process…

Judy Whiteside — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 16:29:40 +0000

We’ve simplified our application process so it’s easier to ask for help when you need it… From the archive: Mountain Rescue Magazine Issue 91, January 2025. Chairman Neil Woodhead explains how we’ve responded to feedback from our mountain and cave rescue membership to make it easier to apply for benevolence or to find support to…

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How Togetherall is supporting team members

Judy Whiteside — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 15:58:19 +0000

One of our very own trustees talks about how our collaboration with the online mental health resource Togetherall has helped her through a difficult time. From the archive: Mountain Rescue Magazine Issue 90, Autumn 2024. This year’s biennial MREW Conference, at Lancaster University, was a fantastic opportunity to promote the work of the Rescue Benevolent…

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