Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team is one of the busiest in the UK with an annual callout rate of over 220 incidents. Based in and around the Snowdon area the team is made up of about 50 volunteers from all walks of life who are all experienced mountaineers. It is thanks to them, and all the other Mountain Rescue Teams, that so many of us are given the security to explore the outdoors knowing that if bad things happen, they are there to help us.

Since the lockdowns and through this last Staycation Summer, callouts to Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team have risen dramatically as more and more people venture into the mountains, many for the first time.  This past August saw a record number of callouts occur as the volunteers gave up their summers to ensure the safety of ours.

As an entirely voluntary organisation, these dedicated and skilled individuals risk their lives as the fourth emergency service, sacrificing holidays, weekends and Christmases without pay to be there for people lost, injured and afraid in the mountains. They rely entirely on grants and donations, and need £30,000 a year from donations and fundraising to keep operating.

I will be walking the Wales Coast Path; 870 miles from Chester to Chepstow, through December to January to raise money for a team that does so much for those that wish to explore one of the more incredible regions of our outdoors. I am hoping to raise £1,000 and am incredibly grateful for all donations because, let's be honest, it's going to be pretty chilly.

To read more about Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, go to their website (http://www.llanberismountainrescue.co.uk/) or follow their informative Instagram account @llanberismountainrescue

This is my first time fundraising, and I hope we can make a small difference in supporting a charity that makes such a big difference, sometimes between life and death, for all of those who value the wilder spaces.

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