Teesdale botanist and mountain rescue team founder turns 100

A celebrated botanist and founding member of a mountain rescue team has celebrated her 100th birthday.

Dr Margaret Bradshaw was one of the first members of the Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team (TWSMRT) in 1968 and has helped fundraise for the service over the subsequent decades.

She has been a passionate advocate for preserving the flora and fauna of north-east England for more than 70 years and released her first book about Teesdale aged 97.

Last week, she was “thrilled” to receive a signed birthday card from King Charles and Queen Camilla and said she would “treasure it”.

Bradshaw said: “It was the presence of the rare and special flora that first brought me to Teesdale back in 1951.

“It has been my life’s work to study the flora, tell people about the flora and the unique collection of rare and special Arctic and southern species.”

Martin Rogers, a trustee of the Teesdale Special Flora Trust, which Bradshaw founded, said she was a “one-off” and “still going strong at 100”.

“She is a dedicated botanist, with a unique knowledge of Teesdale’s flora and is still a tireless campaigner for its conservation,” he said.

“She established an active botany group in 2002 and has recruited and trained a large number of local volunteers over the following years.”

Alarmed by the decline in the population of many of the rare species, Bradshaw established the Teesdale Special Flora Trust in 2017 and has played the central role in its work and development.

She said she became involved with the mountain rescue team while “rescuing plants on the fell”.

“I was a member from almost the beginning,” she said. “I was drawn into the Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team.”

Aged 89, Bradshaw completed the Great North Run to raise money for the team.

A spokesperson for Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team said: “Margaret has been a passionate supporter of Teesdale and has played a key role in the recognition and conservation of its flora and fauna for the past 70 years.

“Margaret was also part of the group that founded TWSMRT following the tragic loss of two lives in March 1968 at Maize Beck, above High Force.”