THE Black Mountains offer wonderful views and show nature at its honest best. They are enjoyed by walkers, hang-gliders, cyclists and – earlier this year – skiers and snowboarders.

But such beauty and adventure have obvious risks.

The Longtown Mountain Rescue Team (LMRT) knows the land at the furthest eastern point of the Brecon Beacons better than most, understanding how to navigate its way through the moorlands, dense forests and barren peaks higher than 2,000ft.

The team now consists of about 40 volunteers who have been helping the emergency services for the past 45 years.

“They start off on their apprenticeships and it can take two years to qualify,” said search manager Mike Jones, who has been a member for about 17 years.

“The members come from all sorts of backgrounds, such as tree surgeons and surveyors, so they bring a variety of skills with them.”

LMRT first started out in 1964 when Northampton Education Authority opened an outdoor education centre in the Herefordshire village of Longtown and a mountain rescue team was formed a year later.

Its base has now moved over the border to Abergavenny and has grown steadily over the years.

“We mainly cover the Black Mountains, but this can stretch to the north Shropshire highlands and also south into Gwent,” said Mr Jones.

“Call-outs are also received in less mountainous areas and we assist the police in finding people, either in searches or rescues.

“We are also in contact with other agencies, such as the RAF and the Air Ambulance, and work with other rescue teams.”

One of the rescues that Mr Jones clearly remembers was of a girl from Bristol who got lost on the Sugar Loaf peak in the Black Mountains during a summer evening about nine or 10 years ago.

“We were told that an eight-year-old girl was missing,” he said.

“Her two older brothers had gone down the mountains with their mum and they soon realised that the girl was not with them.

“Her mum shouted out to her, but she didn’t get a response, so the police were called as it was now getting dark.”

The LMRT were then sent to assist with the rescue, as well as two other teams.

“It became a full-on operation with teams working shoulder-to-shoulder,”

said Mr Jones.

“We literally tore the mountains up looking for her when a guy next to me saw something in his head torch at about 1am the following morning.

“It was the girl, who was sitting quietly, not crying or anything.

“Obviously she was shaken and she said that she was scared she was going to be eaten by foxes.”

She was safely carried down the mountains, but it was only when he was telling her Winnie the Pooh stories, that Mr Jones realised the enormity of the rescue.

“I noticed tears streaming down my face, he said.

“It was a very unusual rescue and everyone was highly professional, but when we compared notes afterwards, we realised what we had done.”

During an average year, LMRT attends up to 30 rescues armed with items such as a radio, medical kit and a heavy duty sleeping bag. But surprisingly most of the rescues occur in the summer.

“You would think that they would mainly be in the winter, but more people go walking in the summer,” he said.

However, the team is still busy around the Christmas and New Year period.

On New Year’s Day, a man needed assistance in Critchow and on Christmas Day last year a person was rescued from Blorenge, near Abergavenny. Both sustained lower limb injuries.

Many people have thanked the crew for the service it provides, including a man who had a heart attack in Critchow about three or four years ago.

But because LMRT is a charity, it is totally dependent on donations.

“As long as the police allow voluntary bodies and we give an excellent service, then I think our future is secure,” said Mr Jones.

“We are accountable to coroners and families so our work has to be top quality.

The priority is always to find a person and ensure that the team members come back safely.

“If confidence in the team is lost, then we lose credibility.”

LMRT is always looking at ways to raise funds and each year volunteers take part in the Big Black Mountains Challenge – a trek of either 10, 18 or 32 miles.

For more information on LMRT, visit longtownmrt.org.uk.