John Dempster. Photo: Cockermouth MRT

Mountain rescue team members have paid tribute to their former chair and vice-president, who died earlier this month.

John Dempster served with Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team in Cumbria for 60 years.

The team said he was a friend and inspiration.

A team spokesperson said: “John’s long involvement with mountain rescue started when he was just a boy.

“Having been introduced to hillwalking and scrambling through the Scouts, he went on to join Workington Ramblers and would regularly catch the bus through to Keswick to go hiking and scrambling in the fells around Derwent Water and beyond.

“On its way to Keswick the bus would pass through the town of Cockermouth and often picked up groups of rock climbers from the local mountaineering club. It wasn’t long before John received an invite from one of these climbers to join the group for a day at Yew Crag Knotts, and it was here that he received his first introduction to rock climbing and mountaineering.”

Mr Dempster joined Cockermouth Mountaineering Club in 1956.

“The mountain rescue team was still in its infancy, having only been established three years earlier in the February of 1953. However, in these early days, the rescue team recruited almost exclusively from the ranks of the mountaineering club, so it wouldn’t have been long before John’s climbing talent was spotted by his peers, and he was approached about joining the team.

“Thankfully, John took up the challenge and volunteered to join Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team. He was still only 15 years old, but in the days before radios, young team members like John were recruited to act as runners, relaying messages between the casualty site and the police, or providing updates to base via the phone in the kitchen at Gatesgarth Farm in Buttermere.”

After spending many years as an active hill-going team member, John became the chair of the organisation, a position that he held for 36 years. During this time he was responsible for driving numerous improvements that the team said it continues to benefit from.

“Undoubtedly the greatest of these was the establishment of the team’s new headquarters building,” the spokesperson said. “This colossal achievement was the culmination of five years of tireless work by John, who led efforts to secure the necessary funding, and then oversaw the planning and construction of the build, which was eventually completed in 2003.

“Alongside his undeniable commitment to his own team, John will also be remembered for the wonderful work he did as chair of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association. Over the course of 15 years John provided invaluable support to the 12 Lake District teams, worked closely with Cumbria police to setup a groundbreaking insurance policy for volunteers, and spearheaded numerous other initiatives that ultimately made the lives of rescuers safer and improved outcomes for our casualties.”

After stepping down as chair he was appointed president of LDSAMRA, allowing him stay closely involved with the organisation to continue much of the good work that he had started.

In 2005 he was appointed an MBE for services to mountain rescue. He stepped down from the callout list at the age of 75, but remained actively involved with the team right until the end, attending his last team meeting just days before his death.

The spokesperson added: “All the members of Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team would like to extend our deepest condolences to John’s family and loved ones during this very difficult time. His memory will live on in the rescues we attend, which in no small part, are possible, because of the wonderful work that John committed so much of his life to.”