Pen y Fan: Mountain tribute to Mike Rudall 40 years after tragedy

Volunteers old and new came together to remember Mike Rudall

Mountain rescue volunteers have held a memorial walk 40 years since their team leader was killed heroically saving a Scout from a rockfall.

Mike Rudall died in "atrocious" weather in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, then known as the Brecon Beacons.

He was a volunteer with the group now called the Western Beacons Mountain Rescue Team called out to help Scouts who had lost their way on Pen y Fan.

Mr Rudall was hit by the rocks as he shielded the Scout on 1 May, 1983.

Exactly 40 years on, more than 40 current and former volunteers walked up Pen y Fan, before a memorial ceremony was held at the park's visitor centre with members of Mr Rudall's family.

"It is really important to us as a team to make sure we remember the ultimate sacrifice Mike (pictured) made," says Will Oliver, deputy team leader

Will Oliver, deputy team leader, said: "It was really good. There were some old team members, and people present with Mike on the day.

"It is really important to us as a team to make sure we remember the ultimate sacrifice Mike made. It's important to remember the seriousness of the risks that we sometimes have to take, and to honour that history."

More than 40 people took part in the memorial walk

One of the Scouts who was rescued attended the event, as did members of Mr Rudall's family including his brother, who read words written by his daughter.

A memorial stone to Mr Rudall - who was also known as Nog - is at the national park visitor centre at Libanus near Brecon.

Western Beacons Mountain Rescue Team offers a variety of skills, including searching for missing or vulnerable people, rope rescue, and inland water and flood rescue.

A memorial stone to Mike Rudall is at the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park visitor centre

Mr Oliver said the team responds to between 70 and 80 callouts a year, and the service costs more than £35,000 a year to run.

He added: "We are completely reliant on the generosity of the public and businesses. Mike's family very kindly agreed that any memorial donations in memory of Mike be made to us as a team."

He said it was too early to tell exactly how much the memorial event had raised, but said that the team is "very grateful" to the family, who continue to support their work.