H. M. Lord Lieutenant does the honours

Mr William Tucker, The Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire visited Buxton Mountain Rescue Team’s Dove Holes Base on Thursday night to bestow The British Empire Medal on team member, Keith Birkitt.

The Lord Lieutenant was accompanied by his wife and Mr David Wheatcroft, Clerk to the Lieutenancy and Debra Heaton, Secretary to the Lieutenancy.  Other invited guests included the President of PDMRO, Mr David Coleman QPM DL and Chairman of PDMRO, Mr Neil Roden MBE.

The building was packed with team members and many of Kieth’s family and work colleagues from the Health and Safety Laboratories at Buxton.   Keith joined Buxton MRT in 1994 and quickly became a leading member and has consistently ranked in the top five members attending the most incidents each year.  In 1997 Keith took on the role of Fundraising and became manager of the team’s biggest annual money making event at Chatsworth County Fair.  Keith has continued to manage the event over sixteen years and has raised over £80,000 for team funds.  Still fundraising, Keith has now turned his attention to team training adding the role of programme organiser to his list of activities.  With other team members, Keith received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for service to a voluntary organisation.

The formal ceremony with the reading of a citation and presentation of the medal and certificate took just a few minutes leaving the rest of the evening available for socialising and explaining the role of mountain rescue to the many guests.

It has been a great credit for the team to have two members recognised with national honours in the same year and reflects how mountain rescue is now regarded by the wider community.

Top photo left to right:  Debra Heaton, Mrs Tucker, Mrs Jane Anne Birkitt,  David Coleman, Keith Birkitt, Lord-lieutenant,                                                                                     David Wheatcroft, Mrs Susan Wheatcroft.

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