Festival recognition for mountain rescue veteran
At a glance
Mountain rescue veteran David Whalley has been named the latest winner of the Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture
The prize is awarded by the Fort William Mountain Festival
Mr Whalley, best-known by his nickname Heavy, served in RAF mountain rescue for almost 40 years
He is also an accomplished climber of Scotland's mountains
- Published
One of the UK's most experienced mountain rescue experts has been recognised for his contribution to Scottish mountaineering.
David Whalley has been named the 16th recipient of Fort William Mountain Festival's Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture.
He served with the RAF Mountain Rescue Service for almost 40 years, attending more than 1,00 mountain incidents and dozens of air accidents.
Mr Whalley was senior team leader of the rescue effort at the scene of the Lockerbie disaster in 1988.
He was also involved in the search for survivors of a fatal military Chinook helicopter crash on Mull of Kintyre in 1994.
After leaving the RAF he was a volunteer with Torridon and Kinlochewe Mountain Rescue Team for three years.
Mr Whalley, who lives in Burghead in Moray, climbs every week and is a member of the Scottish and Moray mountaineering clubs.
His climbing exploits in Scotland include completing Scotland's 282 Munros seven times.
Mr Whalley is well-known in the climbing community by his nickname Heavy, which he earned in the RAF due to his spirit and determination on rescues.
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- Published23 August 2019
