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The Lord Lieutenant of Wigtown, Aileen Brewis, has presented Galloway Mountain Rescue Service with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award that a voluntary group can receive in the UK.
Since being formed in 1975, the group of 48 highly-trained unpaid volunteers has responded to over 600 incidents and are on-call and ready to mobilise for emergencies at any time of the day or night, every single day of the year , whatever the weather.
From their base in Newton Stewart, these dedicated men and women have provided life-saving assistance to walkers, climbers, and accident victims in challenging and often remote terrain stretching from Stranraer to Dumfries and from the Solway Coast to the South Ayrshire Hills.
They also frequently provide assistance to the Scottish Ambulance Service, Police Scotland, HM Coastguard and other emergency organisations.
Presenting members of the team with the prestigious award, thw Lord Lieutenant said: “The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is known as the MBE for voluntary organisations and I cannot think of a more worthy and inspiring group to receive this honour.
“The Galloway Mountain Rescue Team is an outstanding group of truly dedicated people who freely give their time to save the lives of others, often in dire circumstances, by getting to those hard-to-reach places that can prove inaccessible to the emergency services. During the past 46 years the team has evolved and now has an essential role helping and supporting young people and other groups in our communities with fundraising and training.”
Ken Mackenzie, former Team Leader, said “It is a great honour for the team to receive this award. It is recognition of the hard work, dedication and commitment of all our team members, the understanding and support of their families, and the continued support of local communities over the 46 years of our existence."
