A Stockport Elder who has been volunteering with a mountain rescue team since 1976 has been awarded an MBE.
Bernie Stevens, an Elder and Local Leader at Cheadle Hulme United Reformed Church in Stockport, Greater Manchester, gained the award in the New Year’s Honours for services to the Kinder Mountain Rescue Team and to young people and the community in Greater Manchester.
Bernie’s MBE is a fitting recognition of a lifetime spent helping others on the hills and in the classroom and youth club.
Sharing how thrilled he was to receive the honour, Bernie said: “No one ever thinks they’ll come to the attention of the King, but this is a very pleasant feather for national mountain rescue, which is run by an army of volunteers all the way up to officers.”
On what’s kept him volunteering for 50 years, Bernie added: “It’s all about community and giving back, for the most part. Sometimes there’s a bit of adventure, but there is some uncomfortability like getting a call at 2am in the morning to operate a radio. It’s all very Christian, my faith has helped me to hang on and commit. It’s strengthened me to hang on all this time.”
A Kinder Mountain Rescue Team spokesperson said: “Congratulations, Bernie, you’ve made a difference to countless lives, and we’re proud to celebrate you.”
The New Year Honours List for 2026 recognises the achievements and service of extraordinary people across the UK.
Bernie’s passion for the hills began in 1971 during a climbing trip to Langdale. After suffering an open dislocation when two fingers became stuck in a crack, Bernie was rescued by the Langdale Mountain Rescue team.
Four years later, he joined Kinder Mountain Rescue, recommended by Vin Machin, a British Mountain Guide and chief instructor at Crowden Outdoor Centre. Vin saw Bernie’s enthusiasm for teaching young people outdoor skills and knew he’d be an asset to the team. From that moment, Bernie became a fixture in the Kinder Mountain Rescue family.
Alongside his rescue work, Bernie spent his professional life as a science teacher. His weekends were devoted to helping young people learn outdoor skills through the Scouts, Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, and at Whitehall and Crowden Outdoor Centres. For 17 years, Bernie gave up his weekends to inspire confidence and resilience in the next generation.
For more than 50 years, Bernie has seen it all. His most memorable callout came between 1978~9, when a casualty with severe leg injuries was stuck at the bottom of Kinder Downfall. A Westland Whirlwind helicopter was dispatched, the first time a helicopter was used in a Peak District rescue. Bernie vividly recalls watching it rise from the valley below, a sight that thrilled a lifelong helicopter enthusiast.
Other rescues were less dramatic but equally meaningful. Bernie remembers a late-night mission to help a lost young couple. With no accommodation available, Bernie offered them his caravan for the night – a gesture that speaks volumes about his kindness.
Not all memories are happy ones. Bernie recalls the tragic loss of a young woman at Kinder Downfall and the heartbreaking task of driving her family home to Stoke. “Mountain Rescue isn’t just about fitness and first aid,” Bernie says. “It’s about being there for people during their darkest times.” That family later raised funds for the team, and one of the stretchers now bears the young woman’s name — a lasting tribute.
Bernie has witnessed enormous changes in mountain rescue. In the early days, callouts were initiated by painstaking phone trees that could take nearly an hour. Lighting was provided by gas lanterns, later replaced by heavy miners’ lamps with short-lived batteries. Radios were unreliable and not waterproof, forcing teams to plan routes and abort times meticulously. Today, instant messaging, GPS trackers, helicopters and modern algorithms have transformed operations — and callouts have soared from an average of 12 a year to nearly 80.
Despite his decades of service, Bernie is quick to deflect praise. “I’ve never saved a single life. It’s always a team effort,” he insists. That humility is part of what makes Bernie so special.
Bernie, who began serving at the North Western Synod-based church in 2011 as a children’s and youth worker Elder, retired from active callouts at 75, when insurance rules ended his hill-going days. But he hasn’t stopped giving back. He now delivers talks to community groups, sharing vital safety advice: “Know what you’re doing and how to use your equipment. Linking map and compass are key to staying safe.”
The spokesperson added: “Bernie’s remarkable journey, is a story of dedication, compassion, and a lifelong love of the outdoors. His MBE is a fitting recognition of a lifetime spent helping others on the hills and in the classroom and youth club. Kinder Mountain Rescue Team, and everyone who has benefited from Bernie’s wisdom and kindness, say a heartfelt thank you.”
Images: Kinder Mountain Rescue