Brecon Mountain Rescue Team was founded in 1969 by a group of local people who enjoyed the mountains, in response to a call for help by the Brecon Police, to look for a doctor who had gone missing. The missing doctor's body was found in Trefil Quarries by the team. One of those who responded that day, and has been a driving force in the team ever since, is Peter (POJ) Rowlands. Statistics were not kept in those days so it is impossible to tell how many people POJ and the team have assisted over the years, though one thing is for sure - we're getting busier...!

During the late 1970s and early 1980s the team would annually receive calls in single figures, maybe just creeping into double figures. The 1980s saw a steady increase in the number of calls attended and by the end of the decade the number of calls exceeded 20 per annum.

The graph below shows that during the 1990's the increasing trend continued to the year 2000, with 49 calls. The following year, with Foot and Mouth Disease ravaging the countryside saw our calls reduce to below 1980s levels. Post FMD figures show that the longterm trend has continued, with 2002 being our busiest year to date, closely followed by 2005 where we assisted the public on 54 occasions.

 

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