In the news

Last week, on 9 th October, we received the very sad news that our former Chair and Vice President
John Dempster had passed away. 
John’s long involvement with Mountain Rescue started when he was just a boy. Having been
introduced to hill walking and scrambling through the Scouts, he went on to join Workington
Ramblers and would regularly catch the bus through to Keswick to go hiking and scrambling in the
fells around Derwent Water and beyond.  
On its way to Keswick the bus would pass through the town of Cockermouth and often picked up
groups of rock climbers from the local mountaineering club. It wasn’t long before John received an
invite from one of these climbers to join the group for a day at Yew Crag Knotts, and it was here that
he received his first introduction to rock climbing and mountaineering.  
 
In 1956 John joined Cockermouth Mountaineering Club. The Mountain Rescue Team was still in its
infancy, having only been established three years earlier in the February of 1953. However, in these
early days, the rescue team recruited almost exclusively from the ranks of the Mountaineering Club,
so it wouldn’t have been long before John’s climbing talent was spotted by his peers, and he was
approached about joining the Team.  
Thankfully, John took up the challenge and volunteered to join Cockermouth Mountain Rescue
Team. He was still only 15 years old, but in the days before radios, young team members like John
were recruited to act as runners, relaying messages between the casualty site and the police, or
providing updates to base via the phone in the kitchen at Gatesgarth Farm in Buttermere.  
In addition to spending many years as an active hill going team member, John eventually became the
Chair of Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team, a position that he held for 36 years. During this time
John was responsible for driving numerous improvements that the team continues to benefit from
to this day. Undoubtedly, the greatest of these, was the establishment of the teams new Head
Quarters building. This colossal achievement was the culmination of 5 years of tireless work by John,
who led efforts to secure the necessary funding, and then oversaw the planning and construction of
the build, which was eventually completed in 2003. 
Alongside his undeniable commitment to his own team, John will also be remembered for the
wonderful work he did as Chair of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association. Over
the course of 15 years John provided invaluable support to the 12 Lake District teams, worked
closely with Cumbria Police to setup a ground-breaking insurance policy for volunteers, and
spearheaded numerous other initiatives that ultimately made the lives of rescuers safer and
improved outcomes for our casualties. After stepping down as Chair he was awarded the position
President of LDSAMRA allowing him stay closely involved with the organisation to continue much of
the good work that he had started.  
John served as an active team member of Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team for 60 years,
receiving an MBE in 2005 for services to Mountain Rescue. He stepped down from the callout list at
the age of 75, but remained actively involved with the team right until the end, attending his last
team meeting just days before his passing. 
All the members of Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team would like to extend our deepest
condolences to John’s family and loved ones during this very difficult time. His memory will live on in
the rescues we attend, which in no small part, are possible, because of the wonderful work that John
committed so much of his life to.