A husband and wife team who have devoted decades to mountain rescue volunteering in North Wales have been honoured with MBEs at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.
Becky and Iain Ashcroft, volunteers with North East Wales Search and Rescue (NEWSAR), received their insignia from Prince William on March 11 after being recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours last year.
Between them, the pair have contributed more than 60 years of voluntary service responding to mountain rescue callouts and searches for missing persons across the region. They are believed to be the first husband and wife mountain rescue volunteers to receive the honour jointly.
Speaking after the ceremony, Becky Ashcroft said the recognition was both humbling and a reflection of the wider mountain rescue community.
“We are still both surprised when someone mentions that we are both MBEs, and I do wonder if we will ever lose that sense of wonderment,” she said.
“Today’s investiture at Windsor Castle really did make it feel real, and we both remain hugely grateful and honoured to have been nominated.
“Mountain rescue is about team work, and behind us in North Wales is a strong cadre of fellow team members without whom we could not do what we do.”
She added that the award also recognised the work of mountain rescue volunteers across the UK as well as the cooperation between rescue teams and other emergency services.
“Frequently we are working alongside other professionals – including the emergency services, the Coastguard and the RAF – each bringing their own specialist expertise to the task of helping people who need us.”
Iain Ashcroft highlighted the level of commitment required from volunteers who respond to incidents in remote and challenging environments.
“It is not unusual for us, when responding to a call for help, to find that the people calling upon our services have no idea that mountain rescue teams are made up completely of volunteers,” he said.
“We drop what we are doing – family events, work, social occasions and leisure time – to respond quickly to those in need of our help. The skills needed to assist someone injured, lost or stranded require many hours of training and practice, alongside maintaining specialist vehicles and equipment and raising funds to support the work we do.”
North East Wales Search and Rescue operates across Flintshire, Denbighshire, Wrexham and parts of Conwy and Powys. The team is entirely volunteer run and relies on donations and grants to fund its operations.