Carwyn Jones: thanked mountain rescuers

The Welsh First Minister met members of the mountaineering community yesterday to hear at first hand issues affecting climbers and hillwalkers.

Carwyn Jones AM’s first official visit to north Wales gave him the opportunity to see at first hand the recent avalanche above Nant Peris on the slopes of Y Garn, courtesy of a telescope set up in the valley below. Mr Jones heard of the benefits to the north Wales economy of mountaineering and walking.

The Labour First Minister, who took up the position last month, also spoke to members of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, one of the busiest in Wales, about the upward trend in accidents and callouts in Wales’s mountains.

Mr Jones also met Elfyn Jones, the British Mountaineering Council’s access and conservation officer in Wales, Mal Creasey of Mountain Leader Training England, based at Capel Curig, and outgoing Snowdonia Society director Alan Pugh who has been selected by Labour to fight the Arfon seat in the next general election.

Elfyn Jones said: “The controversial issue of waymarking and signing paths on open mountains was frankly debated. Both the BMC and the local rescue team volunteers made it clear to the First Minister their opposition to this, preferring a better level of information – including a specialised weather forecast and ground conditions report – at key gateways to the mountains that would enable mountain users to make informed decisions before venturing on the hills.”

The First Minister thanked members of the Llanberis rescue team for their work, which included 12 fatal incidents among its 180-plus callouts last year.

Before calling in at the Llanberis MRT headquarters, Carwyn Jones visited the Little Orme footpath in Llandudno which is part of a £15m upgrade to improve coastal access across Wales.

The Wales Coast Path will stretch for 1,368km (850 miles) when complete and, combined with the proposed coastal path round England and existing access in Scotland, will complete a full coastal route of mainland Britain.

Carwyn Jones said: “This is a good opportunity for me to see the progress being made towards fulfilling our ambition to open up access to our unique coastline. The creation of an all-Wales coastal path is an integral part of our One Wales programme of government.”

• The Snowdonia Society is seeking a new director following Alun Pugh’s departure. Applications are being invited for the £30,000 to £35,000-a-year post, in charge of the charity, which is dedicated to protecting the landscape, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area.

As a minimum, some knowledge of spoken Welsh is essential, but ideally candidates will have fluency in oral and written Welsh.

Cymdeithas Eryri – the Snowdonia Society – was formed in 1967 and has more than 2,500 members. Closing date for applications is 5 February and details can be found on the society’s website.