THE EXTRA MILE AWARD
CHRIS LEWIS Mountain Rescue volunteer
ON FEBRUARY 6, Patterdale Mountain Rescue volunteer Chris Lewis was part of a team attempting to rescue a wild camper in trouble on Red Screes, near Ambleside. On his way up, Chris fell 150m down a steep slope and suffered “life-changing injuries”. He was airlifted to hospital but “will remain wheelchair-bound and need significant support for the rest of his life”. The tragic story hit the headlines and sent shockwaves through the outdoor community and beyond, with an outpouring of support for Chris. Almost £866,000 was raised for the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association. “Selfless”, “heroic” and “a committed expert” were just a few of the emotive comments from voters in support of Chris.
Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW)
The work of all Mountain Rescue teams was rightfully praised by the outdoors community in 2021, particularly in light of increased demand following a boom in outdoor participation in the UK. “Any one of the mountain rescue teams could be worthy of this award, but giving the award to MREW will recognise the efforts of all those involved in mountain rescue,” wrote one voter. “They have put up with so much this year,” explained one mountain rescue supporter, whilst another said “mountain rescue teams help so much on the hills, but they do even more unsung work finding missing children and vulnerable adults in all parts of the country”.
▼ Fix the Fells
Fix the Fells’ mission is to protect the spectacular Lakeland fells from erosion by repairing and maintaining the upland paths. It repairs and maintains 344 upland paths, covering 410 miles, with much of the work carried out by an army of volunteers. Voters waxed lyrical about the project, with just a few of the complimentary comments including: “they do a marvellous job and allow millions to access the fells safely”, “a brilliant set of volunteers with unbridled passion and commitment” and “without these people the fells would soon fall into disrepair and paths would become impassable”.