Team Dolly are a group of volunteers who give up their time and energy to help out,where they can, at local fell races.
The team members are many and varied but revolve around Pedr (logistics) and Godfrey(communications).
The team's origins go back to the first Pen Fell Race and the late Billy Highton who was previously a member of the Ogwen mountain Rescue Team then SARDA the Search and Rescue Dogs Association where he met Pedr.

They saw the advantages of using CB radio communication on fell race
coverage linking each team member with a ground base and so professional assistance if required. The only
problem with this was that they became known as the Conwy CBers which did not go down too well so a new
name evolved that was more in tune with the hill i.e. Dolly the cloned sheep.

The team numbers can vary greatly depending on the race. I remember
running the Foel Lus evening race where I worked out that I must have met a marshal every two minutes
Sometimes coverage can be well spread out over the course but this can have it's problems
if one team member cannot be contacted thus breaking the communication chain. When this did
happen recently the remedy was for someone to find the team member and throw stones at him to wake him up.

One year, when everyone was packing up at the end of the Pen Fell Race a
lady said she was concerned that her husband had not returned. This
sparked the team into action and everyone went back up on the hill to search for
him although he eventually got himself back to the pub the lads were out until 7:30 pm. A long day.

On another occasion, during a charity walk, a guy walked up Tal y Fan in thick mist after being advised not to do so.
When we found him he had just stopped where he was not knowing which way to go and decided to wait to be rescued.
I am not sure whether he needed to be more afraid of some of the team members.

All the team members are experienced mountaineers with extensive local knowledge who have been lost all
over North Wales, who can be relied up onto remain anonymous if anything hits the fan. Some are fell runners
themselves who cannot run due to illness or injury probably gained the night before.

The recent changes in fell running in north Wales may mean that Team
Dolly will be in attendance at more fixtures in the future so please give them
your support with some acknowledgement as you pass but if you encounter a
marshal who appears to be snoring please tip-toe past quietly.

Peter Eardley