Ten years of TGO Awards

Regular readers of The Great Outdoors magazine (aka TGO) will be familiar with the annual Reader Awards and Gear Awards. Now in their tenth year, mountain rescue features in a few different ways under the Extra Mile category 2021, announced recently. Sally Seed takes a look at the teams, one individual and even the national body itself, who are up for this new award.

Winter mountains © Alan Hinkes.

According to the TGO website, the Extra Mile is all about ‘outstanding voluntary effort that helps make a difference to experiences in the outdoors. The Extra Mile award encompasses rangers, mountain rescue teams and personnel, and anyone else who volunteers their time for the benefit of the countryside and other walkers’.

Mountain Rescue England and Wales is one of the shortlisted organisations and we’re very proud to have been nominated. It seems like good recognition for each one of the 47 teams across England and Wales and the 3,000 or so volunteer team members and their families and employers, supporters and fundraisers.

One of those who nominated Mountain Rescue England and Wales said it was ‘for having to put up with so much this year!’

If you’re planning to add your vote to the TGO Awards, see the button below for a link and be aware that there’s a deadline of Monday 22 November.  But you should also know that there are other MR options on that shortlist. We thought we’d better mention them individually, along with the nominating comments from the TGO website:

Calder Valley team members during a training session in August 2021 © Calder Valley SRT.
  • Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team: ‘Heroes who have supported so many events and responded to incidents.’ Calder Valley SRT is one of five teams in the Mid Pennine Search & Rescue Organisation and they’ve been busy throughout the pandemic.
Chris Lewis, Patterdale team member who suffered life-changing injuries in a fall, during a call-out in early 2021 © Patterdale MRT.
  • Chris Lewis, mountain rescue volunteer: ‘Poor Chris had a serious fall whilst on a winter call-out during lockdown. He is the mark of why mountain rescue volunteers are heroes.’ Chris is a member and trustee of Patterdale MRT and we continue to send our very best wishes to him, in hospital and working on rehabilitation after his fall in February.
Edale team members during an incident in October 2021 © Edale MRT.
  • Edale Mountain Rescue Team: ‘They are always happy to help someone without judging.’ The seven Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation teams have been particularly busy during the pandemic because of their locations close to major cities and conurbations.
Llanberis team members during a particularly busy, typically ‘sunny’, day in mid-August 2021 © Llanberis MRT.
  • Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team: ‘They get a lot of call-outs and always treat the public with patience.’ A lot of call-outs is an understatement for the Snowdonia teams in North Wales and, as this blog went live, they had attended 211 (and counting) in 2021.

We hope that you will feel able to vote for at least one of the mountain rescue candidates on the shortlist as well as voting in other categories and thank you to those who nominated us.

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