Risking Life and Limb by Judy Whiteside

A book charting the first 50 years of one of the country’s volunteer mountain rescue teams is in the running for an award.

Judy Whiteside’s Risking Life and Limb is a celebration of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation.

It is one of nine shortlisted by The Great Outdoors magazine for its annual awards.

Today is the final day of voting for the various categories, the winners of which will be announced at next week’s Kendal Mountain Festival.

Risking Life and Limb details the development of the north Wales team, and was written by Ms Whiteside, editor of Mountain Rescue magazine, drawing on the team’s historic records. It also features illustrations by George Manley, along with numerous photographs from the Ogwen Valley MRO archives.

The team celebrated its golden anniversary last year, and Ms Whiteside’s book details its origins at a mountaineering school at Ogwen Cottage. Risking Life and Limb plots the development of all those things which have changed: the equipment, the training, the technology, the inevitable paperwork.

It has plenty of incidents and anecdotes and a liberal sprinkling of ‘Oggi’ humour as team members past and present, family members and casualties talk about their experiences.

Voting is via The Great Outdoors website; the book award category is accessed via the ‘next’ button.

Grough will be posting a review of Risking Life and Limb in the near future.

The book is available, priced £18.50 plus £1.50 post and packing, via the rescue team’s website.