A VOLUNTEER has received a long service award from Mountain Rescue England and Wales to recognise his dedication to saving lives on the Lake District fells.

Nick Wright, who combines his hobby of mountaineering with his career as a Mountain Medicine Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, has been recognised by a national voluntary group for his 20 years of service. 

The father-of-two, who has attended approximately 800 callouts over two decades of volunteering, said: “It’s been an exciting but challenging 20 years.

“It’s very nice to be recognised for the time I’ve put in. People see us up the mountains on rescues but there’s a lot of work which goes on behind the scenes that people don’t see with the amount of training, maintenance of kit and vehicles and ensuring compliance with national governance standards.

“There’s lots of interruptions to my personal time and it’s difficult at times to balance work but I love what I do. I always tell my students, if you can combine your loves of medicine and mountaineering then this is for you and I’m living that dream.”

The 40-year-old joined Exmoor Search and Rescue at the age of 19. He had moved from his childhood home in Kent to Devon to set up his new life in the outdoor industry. He volunteered as a communications officer for a year but then headed north to undertake an outdoor leadership degree in Cumbria.

Nick, from Ambleside, transferred to the Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team and became the group’s vehicles’ officer and helped with a replacement vehicle programme.

After graduating from St Martin’s College in 2009, he immediately started studying for his second degree in paramedic practice at the University of Central Lancashire’s Preston Campus.

While studying and then working as a paramedic, he has maintained his rescue position and held down committee roles including equipment officer, training officer and deputy team leader.

Nick, who is now the Medical Officer with Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association, said: “The reward of team camaraderie and, most importantly, being able to help people in distress certainly makes it all worthwhile.

“The vast majority of calls are to people who have minor to moderate injuries to their lower legs caused by slips and trips. There’s a perception a lot of calls are to ill-prepared people or ones who have got lost but the largest proportion of calls are to people who have lost their footing and can’t get back without medical assistance.

“I’ve now been involved in mountain rescue for over half of my life, and I owe a massive thanks to all those who have supported me to be part of mountain rescue and to disappear at all times of day and night.”

The University of Central Lancashire is a partner organisation of the #BeAdventureSmart campaign, which is asking people to ensure they’ve answered three questions before they set off on a trip:

– Are they confident they have the knowledge & skills for the day?

– Do they know what the weather will be like?

– Do they have the right gear?