On Tuesday 8th January this year, the team was involved in a large scale multi agency search centred upon the River Ribble in the Ribchester area of Lancashire, for a missing 72 years old man Mr Keith Smith of Goosnargh near Preston.

Sadly our involvement on the day (Which had been preceded by our colleagues Bowland Pennine MRT) did not result in the location of Mr Smith (Please see our website report Incident 12 – 2013 dated Tuesday 8th January 2013)

Police search efforts continued for some time afterwards, and in early February the body of Mr Smith was recovered from the River Ribble, in the Salmesbury area downriver of Ribchester.

On Sunday 17th March 2013, we reported on the receipt of donations to the Bolton MRT in memory of the late Mr Keith Smith, amounting to a very kind and thoughtful £221.75p (Please see website ‘News’ item dated the same)

Today we are very grateful to report on another thoughtful donation, this time from Helen Burch, the daughter of the late Mr Keith Smith.

Helen of Shanty Bay, Ontario, in a letter to our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE, accompanying a very kind and thoughtfully sincere £200.00 donation stated in part;

“To the men and women of the Bolton Mountain Rescue Team.”

“I wish to express my deep gratitude and respect to all the wonderful and skilled people involved in the search for my father, Keith Smith, who sadly went missing on January 7th 2013.”

“We were informed by the Police that you worked tirelessly looking for him.”

“The fact that you do all this amazing work on a volunteer basis is extraordinary. It was a very difficult time for us but it was your dedication given to this search for our father that showed us compassion at a time when our family needed it the most.”

“Thank you so very much for everything that you have done and may your work continue to help others as it did for us.”

“With much respect, Helen Burch, Shanty Bay, Ontario, Canada.”

The whole team membership extends its fullest condolences to Helen and her family, on the sad loss of her father, and thanks Helen for such a sincere and thoughtful donation and the very kind comments expressed in her letter to the team membership.