BOLTON Mountain Rescue team will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year.

To promote the team's "birthday" a schools' competition is to be organised in which youngsters will be encouraged to design a special logo to mark the year.

The logo will be used on all team correspondence throughout 1998.

The competition is open to all pupils of Bolton's senior schools and colleges in two categories, 11 to 15 years and 16 to 18 years.

The logo has to incorporate the name of the team with the wording "founded 1968" and the team's charity number on an A4 size sheet.

Designs can be abstract or feature some element of the work that the team finds itself involved in.

Winners will be selected from each category and will receive a prize of a commemorative sweatshirt. They will also join the team on an exercise.

During the 30 years the team's workload has steadily increased to around 40 operational call-outs and incidents a year.

Currently 40 message-pager equipped members are available for call out 365 days a year, whatever the weather or time.

As a fund-raising target, the team aims to raise £120,000 to replace all four emergency response vehicles and support trailers with two new Landrovers and two new minibuses.

A fund-raising appeal will be launched.

Appeal co-ordinator David Marsh can be contacted on Bolton 524747.

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