November 11, 2022
On Saturday (11th September), the Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria, Claire Hensman visited Penrith to present volunteer members of Penrith Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) with Long Service Awards. The cumulative total of years represented by the ten Awards was over 200 years and six of ten were presented personally at the ceremony. Other members of the Team and their families were there to celebrate the occasion too. Peter King, current Team Leader and a Team member since he was 18, was one of those receiving an Award: “The ten members have accumulated over 200 years of service to Penrith MRT,” he said, “and a few of them also have years of service with COMRU (Cumbria Ore Mines Rescue Unit). Their Long Service is made up of hundreds of incidents, many, many hours of training and practice, meetings, gear packing and unpacking, and the all-important fundraising needed to support the Team. It was good that the commitment was recognised in this way with Award certificates from the national body, Mountain Rescue England and Wales and it was excellent that Mrs Hensman, in her role as Lord Lieutenant, was able to visit our Base and make these presentations.” The ten members are: Paul Witheridge 31 years Peter King (current Team Leader) 25 years Harry Harrison 25 years Trevor Milton 23 years Rob Holden (former Team Leader) 22 years Alasdair Brock 20 years Matt Nightingale 18 years Ian Soulsby 16 years Vic Seed 11 years Gerry Rusbridge 11 years In addition, flowers were presented to the partners of those receiving Awards in recognition of the support that they and their families have given to allow them to provide this voluntary service. David Houldridge, Chair of Penrith MRT, said, “This level of commitment is fantastic in any organisation, and even more so as everyone is a volunteer. The rest of the Team are hugely proud and grateful for the efforts by these people. The huge experience over 100’s of call outs and months of training in all conditions ensures the Team are able to rescue the public safely and efficiently time and time again. It is also important to recognise the support and sacrifices of their partners and families over these years, coping with the disruption and commitment needed to be a successful member of a mountain rescue team.”
