Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Stewart Hazlitt Hulse MBE

This morning three of our team members were honoured to represent Bolton MRT at a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Stewart Hazlitt Hulse MBE, of Windermere, who sadly died on Saturday 23rd November 2013, aged 78 years old.

The service was held in the beautiful St Martin’s Church, Bowness, Cumbria, and commenced at 10.00am.

Attending from our team were our President Bob Hutchinson (A former Bolton MRT Team Leader), Life Vice President Alan James and our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE.

The service reflected on Stewarts life not just in mountain rescue, as was familiar to our members attending, but also on his other ‘lives’ as first a professional footballer with Bury Football Club in his home town of Bury, then his involvement with children’s football, and as a Football Linesman and Referee, mentor and assessor for young Football Referee’s and his major involvement in cricket, both as a player and Umpiring.

Many hundreds of friends, colleagues and associates joined Stewart’s family in todays celebration of his life, others from the world of mountain rescue, football, cricket, and former work colleagues from his time with South Lakeland County Council.

Common to the many tributes paid to Stewart was that he was a friend to all, a true Gentleman, and a ‘genuine hero.’

To those of us present from the world of Mountain Rescue and Cave / Mines Rescue, Stewart’s time as a founder member of Ambleside Fell Rescue Team, going on to become a long serving member of Langdale Ambleside MRT (As its Team Leader and President) his honorary membership of Kendal Mountain search and Rescue Team, and his help and advice to many in the mountain rescue community was recalled and celebrated.

His life in mountain rescue and his major contribution in the field of mountain rescue casualty care, was recognised by all at todays service, as was his being made an MBE for Services to Mountain Rescue in 2001.

Brian Marshall of COMRU read out at the service a tribute, recalling Stewart as a ‘man of many talents’ who helped save lives with his involvement in mountain rescue medicine.

He went on to say: “We of the rescue teams are proud to have known Stuart – few men could be called a legend but he was one.”

Representatives from the cricket and footballing worlds also paid tribute to Mr Hulse, with Westmorland FA Chief Executive Peter Ducksbury praising his ‘great service to those wonderful games that we all love.”

In his address, St Martin’s Church Curate Chris Jones said: “Stewart loved his dogs, he loved the fells, he loved to pull your leg and have a laugh, he loved giving of himself for others.”

At the conclusion of the service, a great many joined Stewart’s wife of 54 years, Joan, his children Caroline and David and grandchildren Abby, Benjamin and Rebecca, for refreshments at Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, Cumbria.
Donations raised in the memory of Stewart, were collected at the end of the service for the British Heart Foundation and Derian House.

Amongst the many attending from the Mountain Rescue, Cave and Mine Rescue community present were representatives from Langdale Ambleside MRT, Kendal MSRT, Coniston MRT, SARDA (Lake District), SARDA (England), Patterdale MRT, Cockermouth MRT, COMRU, Keswick MRT, CRO, Rossendale and Pendle MRT, Bolton MRT, Bowland Pennine MRT and the RAF.