Mountain Rescue Team mourns loss of former member

OLDHAM Mountain Rescue Team is mourning the loss of a popular former member.

Sarah Anderson passed away just a week after marrying partner Kathleen while she was at Manchester’s Christie Hospital, aged just 50-years-old.

And the Greenfield-based service is remembering the woman who added so much to them in the 17 years she was with them from 1995 until 2012.

A spokesman for OMRT said: “Sarah rapidly became a skilled and useful team member, with her hill fitness, amazing navigational skills and good medical capabilities she was an asset to the team.

“When we introduced our “Rocks Off” awards at the team Christmas party, Sarah was the recipient of the “sartorial elegance” award – mainly due to the wallet stuffed in the back pocket of her Ron Hill leggings which looked more like a giant wart.

“Sarah was always more about function than elegance!

“She took advantage of the team trips to Scotland – winter trips to learn the skills on snow and ice, and early summer trips to Assynt and Sutherland to enjoy the remote hills and spectacular coastline. It only helped to increase her love of wild and remote places.”

Sarah left the team to explore other opportunities, eventually forming her own gardening business, but kept in touch with a number of team members and continued to walk, backpack and explore the outdoors.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in late 2021, it had unfortunately spread to her liver and she was released from the Christie in February 2022, after chemotherapy, with only a short life expectancy.

However, with her typical determination she fought her way back to fitness, getting back to hillwalking and doing a zipwire in North Wales with her partner during the summer as well as a variety of trips for holidays in the hills and on the coasts.

The cancer in the liver started growing again towards the end of last year and Sarah was rushed into the Christie in March after the new chemo failed to have any effect.

She married Kathleen at the end of March while in the hospital and sadly died the following week.