The tragic death of of 54 year old Climbing Instructor, Dave Church from County Durham who was leading the popular ice climb of Cautley Spout in the Howgill Fells on the Cumbrian/Yorkshire border, highlighted the yawning chasm of understanding between the climbing community and the general public. Many climbers were outraged by comments left by some members of the public when the story was covered on the conservative Daily Mail's online site. The most common misconception and cause of 'Angry of Tunbridge Wells' outrage was that climbers were risking their lives at the taxpayers expense. For the typical Daily Mail reader,paying taxes for anything other than increasing the military budget or the Queen's allowance is considered beyond the pale! However.... in the UK, all mountain rescue teams are manned by unpaid volunteers who earn their living outside of the mountain rescue service.. The vast majority of MRT members are however, involved in mountain activities in some capacity. Either as climbers or hill walkers. These teams are usually charity registered and self funded through public donations or sponsorship from private companies. It might come as a huge shock to Daily Mail readers but all mountain rescue team members offer their services for FREE!
It must have been difficult for the widow of Mr Church after just two months of marriage and his friends and family to read such misinformed and spiteful comments albeit on the site of a media not renowned for intelligent objectivity and compassion.
Thankfully,the splenetic uninformed missives from some of the more neanderthal members of the public on the Mail site provoked a huge reaction from friends,
mountain rescuers and outdoor activists whose replies were essentially in the same vein as this piece.
Sadly,the next time a climber dies in the mountains and it reaches the pages of the tabloids it will inevitably provoke another wave of spiteful hand wringing from the suburban beige brigade!
Post Title
→Death and the Daily Mail.
Post URL
→https://national-grid-news.blogspot.com/2010/12/death-and-daily-mail.html
Visit National-grid-news for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection
