'You just do it because it helps people'
Most people celebrating their 80th birthday do not run the risk of being called away to a work emergency - but that will be a possibility for Gari Finch. The soon-to-be octogenarian from Great Ayton, in North Yorkshire, has been a volunteer at Cleveland Mountain Rescue for 54 years, and so far he has at least 1,500 call-outs to his name.However, Mr Finch's teammates know better than to suggest that after this latest milestone, he should hang up his distinctive red uniform and enjoy retirement.He says he will continue in the volunteer role he has done since the early 1970s "as long as I'm still of some use"."I'm still in my 20s in my brain - it's the rest of my body that's not there," he says.
Cleveland Mountain Rescue was established in 1965, and is run entirely by a group of about 70 volunteers, with no paid members of staff. A keen climber and walker, Mr Finch says he was inspired to join in 1971 to "put a little bit back into society"."I thought, if I fall off a crag or have an accident, I would like someone to come and help me," he told Naga Munchetty on BBC 5 Live."So, consequently, when the opportunity came, I joined up."Alongside his full-time teaching job, he was a search and rescue officer for over 25 years, responding to accidents and incidents across the North York Moors, the coastline between Sandsend and Hartlepool, and the Tees Valley.Mr Finch was even part of the team sent to Scotland to help recover debris from the Lockerbie disaster in 1988, the UK's deadliest terror atrocity, when a bomb in the hold of a Pan Am flight to America exploded above the town.
In 2013, Mr Finch received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his dedication to mountain rescue services - although, according to him, it was "a team effort". Mr Finch says his late wife, Sandy, also played a vital role in the operation of Cleveland Mountain Rescue, "taking up the reins" and speaking to emergency services in his absence if an urgent call came in.She died nearly six years ago, and Mr Finch credits the friendships he has formed at the mountain rescue organisation for helping him through that difficult period."Apart from helping people, the camaraderie and banter and friends I've made over the years is brilliant," he explains."That's what's keeping me going, to be perfectly honest."
Cleveland Mountain Rescue has also reached a significant anniversary this year - 60 years in operation, making Mr Finch its longest-standing volunteer.Grant Greive, public relations officer at Cleveland Mountain Rescue, says: "Gari joined the team in 1971, and 54 years later he is still an active member. "He epitomises what volunteering is about: giving up his time, using his skills to help others."To this day, Mr Finch still plays an active role in the team as a radio operator, helping to coordinate search and rescue efforts, as well as using his skills to train others."I think I'm still of some use," Mr Finch says."I'm still on the call-out list, so when there's a call-out, off I go to the base to prepare the Land Rovers and the radios."You don't do it for money or anything, you just do it because it's there to be done. It's something useful and it helps people."
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