Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue Team is honoured to be one of the twelve Lake District Mountain Rescue Teams jointly awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. This is the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. The umbrella organisation of the twelve teams is LDSAMRA (Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association), to which the Award has been made.
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Winners are announced each year on the 2nd June, the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.
Representatives of the Lake District’s teams will receive the award from Mrs. Claire Hensman, Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria, later this summer. Two volunteers from the group will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2021, along with other recipients of this year’s Award.
“This award is an incredible recognition of the huge amount of work and commitment put into mountain rescue by the current 400 volunteers within the twelve teams and by all members from our 70 years’ history”, said LDSAMRA Chairman, Richard Warren. “We are all truly humbled by the nomination and look forward to the recognition it brings. Thank you to everyone who has supported our Teams over the years.”