The medals were awarded, on behalf of the Queen, by television presenter Kate Humble, who is our official ambassador.

They have been awarded to more than 40 members of our 60-stong volunteer team as a token of the nation’s thanks.

The awards are part of a UK-wide celebration which has seen Jubilee medals given to members of the armed forces and the emergency services, including mountain rescue teams across the UK, who have provided more than five years of service.

Our dedicated team of volunteers who make up Brecon Mountain Rescue Team, provide an emergency rescue service 24-hours a day, 365 days-a-year – saving the lives of those most in need, throughout mid Wales.

Brecon Mountain Rescue Team’s team leader Dr Rob Powell said: “We are very honoured to receive our Platinum Jubilee medals for our volunteering work and are grateful to our new ambassador Kate Humble for presenting them to us.

“Most of our team have volunteered for many years and have given hundreds of hours of service to our local communities. These medals mean a great deal to us, especially during this very important year when we hope to start work on building our new headquarters to ensure we are best equipped to continue our service for years to come.”

Earlier this month we launched a fundraising appeal to build a much-needed new headquarters on the outskirts of Brecon.

Despite providing an essential, life-saving service, all year round, we receive no government or external funding and we operate on an entirely voluntary basis. The growing demand for our help means we are in urgent need of a new base.

Now we have launched a public fundraising appeal to raise £99,000 towards building a new £1.1million headquarters on the outskirts of Brecon, to respond more quickly to emergencies, and to create an "educational hub".

The team has already raised £750,000 from fundraising efforts over the past 10 years, and now we are appealing for help to achieve our final target by donating to our campaign.

Our new headquarters will be designed to help us respond quicker to emergency calls, store life-saving equipment properly and carry out more training exercises as a full team.

Having a bigger training room will also enable other community organisations, such as Scouts, Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and Ramblers Cymru, to use the headquarters for educational purposes.

We provide specialist search, medical, and rescue services throughout mid Wales, not only on the mountains, but also in towns, rivers and lakes across the region, and we have never been busier.

Our highly trained team can access places that no other service can reach. As well as finding, treating, and rescuing walkers, climbers, fell-runners, mountain bikers and kayakers, we also assist the most vulnerable members of the community - people living with dementia, those who are depressed or suicidal, flood victims, and missing adults and children.

Our fundraising campaign is being backed by Kate Humble, who lives in the region. She

said: “The Brecon Mountain Rescue team receives no government or external funding. Its members give up their time on an entirely voluntary basis. Their dedication, professionalism and generosity has saved hundreds of lives over the years and never more so than in recent times.

“As someone who has spent many happy hours walking in and around the Brecon Beacons National Park, I am aware of what an enormous privilege it is to have a team such as this in the local area.

“The work they do for this community and its visitors is vital and invaluable. I’m delighted to give them and their fundraising campaign my wholehearted support.”

Make a donation to our new HQ appeal here.