A MOUNTAIN rescue volunteer has been honoured by the Royal Humane Society for coming to the aid of a stricken hill walker.
Stuart King, a member of Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team, has been awarded a testimonial on vellum for putting himself in considerable danger to save the life of the injured walker in the Cairngorm Mountains, in Scotland, last February.
The testimonial was awarded by HRH, Princess Alexandra, the society president.
Mr King was climbing with three friends on Creag Meagaidh on a cold, snowy day, when they heard a cry of alarm from another group and looked down to see one of the climbers tumbling down a gully at great speed.
“One of the climbers must have slipped and started falling back down the gully; ricocheting off the gully walls as he fell.
"Being without a helmet, we didn’t expect him to survive.”
He eventually came to rest at the gully bottom, cut off from his friends. 
Mr King said: "Our group made some quick decisions.
"A couple of the lads began to climb out of the gully to get a better phone signal so that we could contact local mountain rescue and then head down a safer route, back to the bottom of the gully.”
But, knowing they had no rescue equipment, and that the helicopter was being dispatched but would take some time, Mr King realised that if the man was going to survive, swift aid was critical.
He took the decision to climb back down the icy gully on his own, descending as quickly as possible some 300m on steep ice without the aid of a rope.
Soon reaching the gully base, he immediately gave first aid to the injured man, who suffered major trauma to his head and torso, a broken wrist, fractured ribs and damage to his ankle in the fall.
He managed to open and maintain his airway and then attended to his wounds.
Following the arrival of a colleague, they managed to carry the casualty to a survival shelter, and, when aerial rescue reached the scene they helped the winchman to load the man into the helicopter and he was flown to hospital.
Following lengthy treatment, including a number of major operations, he has made a good recovery..
Mr King said: "It was a real real team effort.
"Without the other lads calling for help and also coming down, he would not have survived.
"I'm delighted to accept this award on behalf of all of us.”
It was presented to Mr King in the garden of his Acklington homes by Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue team leader, Iain Nixon.
"The presentation was on behalf of the High Sheriff of Northumberland, Tom Fairfax, who, because of Covid regulations, was not able to be present.”
Instead, the High Sheriff and the Chief Constable of Northumbria Police, Winton Keenen, both sent video recordings congratulating Mr King.
In addition, the mountaineer, author and speaker, Nigel Vardy sent him a message, all praising his selflessness and dedication to saving lives.