Former rescue team member Sarah passes away, aged 50
Reporter: Ken Bennett
Date published: 10 April 2023
Sarah Anderson
Oldham Mountain Rescue Team has announced the passing of one of its long-serving former members, Sarah Anderson.
Sarah joined the rescue team in 1995 and 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 they introduced their “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.
In 2011 she was one of a small group of team members who made a week-long trip to the Swiss Alps where her fluent German was a useful asset.
She left the team in 2012 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 chemo, with only a short life expectancy.
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 2022 and she was rushed into the Christie in March after the new chemo failed to have any effect.
She married her partner, Kathleen, at the end of March while in the hospital and sadly died the following week.
"Our thoughts go out to Kathleen and all of Sarah’s loved ones at this impossible time," the rescue team said in a statement.
"Rest well Sarah. Always on the hill."
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