Three Coniston mountain rescuers honoured for 140 years of service

Anthony Robinson, who has stepped down as leader of Coniston Mountain Rescue, and members Malcolm Grindrod and Trevor Walker were celebrated by friends at a special function at the team’s headquarters in the village.

The trio in turn paid tribute to their own families, who they described as ‘equally committed’ in supporting their time-consuming voluntary work.

Mr Robinson, 68, has been a member of the team for 50 years - serving as team leader for the last five years and 27 as deputy.

He said: “My wife Elizabeth has been a great support. The families of team members are often as important to the service as the individuals."

Mr Grindrod, 73, who has also served as a rescuer for 50 years, has had to rely on extra support from his wife as he has also been a central figure in the Lakes Search and Rescue Dog Association.

“Without Vera behind me it would have been very difficult,” he said. “It is quite a commitment really, especially being a dog handler as well. It has taken up a lot of time away from the family and our four children.”

And Mr Walker, 58, said it is often a family affair as many of the members have followed in the footsteps of relatives into the team.

“My own son Christopher who is 14 has said he is going to join as soon as he is old enough,” he said. “He is chomping at the bit.”

Both he and Mr Robinson were first connected to the rescue team through the Sun Hotel in the village.

The pub, which had an annexe that served as a base for the team, was run by Mr Robinson’s family as he grew up.

“Even before I joined the team I would help them prep for searches when they received call-outs,” Mr Robinson said.

“Before the age of mobile phones, if there was an accident on Dow Crag someone had to get down here to raise the alarm. I used to fill the hot water bottles and flasks of tea, and get the lamps ready.

“I joined in 1963 and two of my first five rescues were double fatals. There were no helicopters then and everybody had to be carried out. It was difficult but you just got stuck in and senior members would look after you, and walk you through it if necessary.”

Mr Walker’s mother also worked at the pub, which meant he was around to help the team before he was old enough to join.

“I became a member as soon as I could at 18,” he said. “Back then we only had about two or three meetings a year and it was several months before I was called out on my first rescue. Last year for the first time we averaged a rescue a week.”

Mr Grindrod’s love for the outdoors began with his childhood in Wardle, near Rochdale.

He was a member of the Lancashire Climbing and Caving Club and moved up to Coniston at the age of 20 when he married. Shortly afterwards he joined the Coniston rescuers before transferring to the Langdale and Ambleside team for 28 years as he worked in that area.

He has been back with the Coniston team for 15 years and is now a SARDA assessor, having trained up six of his own dogs to help in rescues.

He said one of his most poingant memories is working with his dog in the aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing, in which 270 people died.

“That was for eight days and it was a harrowing experience,” he said.

And he said a lot of call-outs these days are dealing with walkers who are not equipped to be on the fells.

“We are mountaineers and sometimes even we get it wrong but people do tend to rely on their mobile phones and lack the skills of spending a lifetime on the mountains.

“I used to wander on the moors as a lad and have spent my whole life on the tops.”

For Mr Walker, the memory that stands out most for him was a near-miss in a rescue helicopter.

“On Dow Crag we had a climber who had fallen onto quite an inaccessible ledge,” he said. “I was up in the helicopter with the RAF team when the pilot said he didn’t like the wind and he was going to pull out and go in tail first.

“As we did we hit a patch with no wind and just dropped like a stone. About a year after I met the pilot again and asked him about that rescue. He said we had been extremely lucky that there was enough space between the helicopter and the ground or we would have just hit the deck and that would have been that.

“You see some horrible sights, but the best is when you are out looking for somebody and find them safe and well.”

Mr Robinson added: “One of the saddest situations is when you’ve had something like a dad having a heart attack and you have to support the wife and kids down off the mountain.

“Some of the bigger searches also stand out in my mind. There was a girl who went missing for 10 or 11 days and there were 250 to 300 people out looking for her, which was a huge logistical operation.

“After each search we would be in the pub working out what to do next, and talking to the police about it. She was eventually found and had committed suicide.”

All three rescuers have pledged to remain a part of the team, although they will all be taking a slightly more leisurely role.

After a working life as a coalman, Mr Walker suffers with arthritis and angina and has moved onto the fund-raising side of the team, while Mr Grindrod is having treatment for lung cancer.

He said: “I want to get back on the hills but there is a lot I can do at the base in the meantime, helping to co-ordinate rescues.”

And Mr Robinson, who runs Coniston Lodge - formerly a B&B and now holiday lets - will still be taking part in searches, though he said he won’t be ‘charging up the fells’.

“I’ll be following behind with the equipment, which I hope to do for as long as possible,” he said. “After that I will help to run the base, which is an important part of any rescue.”

After so many years of self-less dedication, all three veterans are in agreement about what has kept them going.

“There is a great team spirit,” Mr Robinson said. “And black humour gets you through a lot of it.”

Mr Grindrod added: “There is a companionship and camaraderie between all the members. It comes down to working within the team and all the people you meet. When you share your nights out on the hills, often in quite horrible weather, you are bound to have a bond.

“We always come back and have a couple of pints in the pub to reminisce about old times. It really is quite special to be a part of this team.”

Mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington paid tribute to the veteran trio's dedication.

He said: "I know what an outstanding role all members of Mountain Rescue teams perform; how dedicated they are and of course carrying out rescues in all weathers - often in dangerous situations, in their own time without any material reward.

"All of us who go into the hills owe a huge amount to them."