Profiles

Eight neighbouring teams, over 40 local people, RAF helicopters, mountain rescue search dogs and police helped the team search for over 10 days into the early hours of the morning in hopes of finding the man alive.
 
Richard Best, 59, a team member who manned the radio for two days during the search effort, said: “Everybody kept looking and checked and rechecked the area but after a few days we knew we were looking for a body. The gentleman was found five weeks later by a walker just outside our 60 square kilometre search area and recovered by the team.”

Richard said: “It was very sad that we just missed him but the community and searchers did everything they could.”

This kind of community effort helps to make the Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue team going. It is a registered charity made up of 36 unpaid volunteers including lawyers, teachers and even an ex racing car driver.

The team of volunteers is called out to incidents by the police via their radio and they have a fully-equipped base with the equipment necessary for modern mountain rescue, including heart defibrillators and first aid kits.

Kirkby Stephen’s mountain rescue team, who cover an area of nearly 2,500 square kilometres, typically get 15-20 callouts each year, usually from walkers getting lost.

Their base has a garage of three specialised Land Rovers enabling the team to respond to these incidents wherever they might occur.

Mountain Rescue Post sign

The KSMRT, who meet twice a month for regular training sessions, are one of 64 teams in Mountain Rescue England and Wales. They have been helping people since the 1960s when a group of hill walkers known as "The Bogtrotters" formed the original team.

The members, who go through first aid, equipment and night navigation training, also raise the ₤15,000 a year needed to keep the team in operation.

Richard said: “We raise all the money for the team ourselves and the members helped to build our own team base in 1992.”

Like others, the team is funded through voluntary contributions, motorway collections, fund raising events, and support from local people and businesses.

Richard Best at work in the office

The team spirit that makes up KSMRT is one of the reasons that Richard joined the team, which is part of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association.

Richard, who's retired, said: “I joined the team because I have always enjoyed orienteering and walking in the Lake District and after years of taking part in these activities, I wanted to give something back to the community and help other people.”