MP David Davies gets a taste of mountain rescue life with the Longtown team

MP David Davies gets a taste of mountain rescue life with the Longtown team

A Conservative MP has pledged to look into funding for mountain rescuers after a visit to his local team.

David Davies, who represents Monmouth in Parliament, was strapped into a stretcher and also tested carrying the heavy kit the volunteer members have to carry during a visit to Longtown Mountain Rescue Team in Abergavenny.

He called in on the team, which covers part of the Brecon Beacons, following a week-long campaign by the umbrella body Mountain Rescue England and Wales in the Palace of Westminster.

Teams south of the border are calling for equal treatment with their Scottish counterparts, who receive an average annual grant from government of £13,926 per team. Welsh volunteers get only £3,246 a year towards running costs, which are an average of £25,000. The shortfall has to be made up by fundraising by volunteer team members.

Luke Lewis, deputy team leader of Longtown MRT, said: “The team is attending more callouts than ever before and members respond 24/7, day or night, whatever the weather.

“We are all volunteers and all have jobs and families.

“Team members are also expected to help in fundraising activities to pay for the service we provide. Over the next few months our fundraising will include collections in Abergavenny town centre and in Hereford.

“We’d like to call on the UK Government to increase our funding to give us level pegging with our Scottish counterparts, who receive almost four times as much as us, and ease some of the burden on our members at a time when our service is more vital than ever.”

MREW head of fundraising Mike France said: “Volunteer rescuers, about 3,600 of them in England and Wales, are available throughout the year for local callouts and they have to train for many different situations and needs.

“So it seems crazy that they also have to find time for fundraising just to keep their teams going.

“We’re hoping that our visit to Westminster will have shown MPs the huge discrepancy between the financial support given by government to Scottish rescuers – about £14,000 per team – and the much more limited funding to Welsh teams of just over £3,000.”

Mr France said if government could guarantee a level of funding from the public purse closer to the Scottish figure, teams would be able to underwrite investments in vehicles and essential kit and subsidise essential training and insurance.

“Our volunteer rescuers would be able to focus on getting the job done rather than having to worry about money,” he added.

Mr Davies said: “Longtown Mountain Rescue Team does such a fantastic job and I want to pay tribute to the volunteers who give their time and effort to both fundraise and help people in trouble.

“They really are the extra emergency service and I believe it is important to acknowledge how they put their lives at risk for the safety of others.

“I was pleased to be able to learn more about the team’s history, how it operates and the challenges which it is facing.

“I will certainly continue to work with my colleagues in Parliament to move this important campaign forward and explore the options for future funding.”

There are 10 mountain rescue teams in Wales, made up of volunteers who are on call 24 hours a day.

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