Award-winning mountain rescuer meets the stars

A mountain rescue volunteer has been awarded a coveted national award and mixed with the stars.

Heather Smyly, a member of Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team Tavistock (DSRT), said she was honoured and privileged to be granted a Woman of the Year Award 2026.

She attended the ceremony in Manchester on Friday, October 9, for a star-studded lunch and met several VIPs such as Baroness Floella Benjamin (former children’s TV presenter, actress, author, politician and House of Lords member),Mel Giedroyc (comedian and Channel 4’s Bake Off presenter) and Gisele Pelicot (the victim of an infamous sex crime in France).

She was nominated by her team colleagues for her immense contributions to lifesaving volunteer services and for ‘breaking barriers’ in technical rescue ropes. The team said she is an inspiration to members and that members were ‘proud’ of her achievements.

Heather is a specialist rope operator with the rescue team and is one of the most qualified members with qualifications in most mountain rescue disciplines (navigation and first aid among them). This summer she has also helped extend opportunities to women by training as a technical rope operator instructor, one of only a handful of women in that role nationally.

Heather said: “Being recognised as a Woman of The Year 2026 has been a truly remarkable experience. I couldn’t believe it when I opened the letter telling me I had the award. I actually don’t do anything more than anyone else and there are others who deserve it more than me. None the less, it topped off an eventful year for me, having done the course, which helps create a pathway for women in a male-dominated skill. I also did my first ever marathon in memory of a member who had died - the Dartmoor Marathon.”

Heather was seated on the same table as Floella Benjamin at the awards lunch, also a marathon runner: “I was in awe of all the outstanding and inspiring women in the room.

“Words cannot describe what it was like to be in the room when Gisele Pelicot was presented with the Women of Courage Award. I spoke to Floella about Marathon Running and she has run ten consecutive marathons. amazing! She recommended that everyone should do at least one marathon to practice resilience and determination.”

Heather works as an administrator for a flood control company and worked previously for a geotechnical engineering consultancy where her love of high altitude and ropes was apparent in her use of ropes for abseiling on cliff faces, assessing the stability of rock formations.

She trained on Saltash Bridge with ropes: “I admit to loving the ropes and being high up. I doesn’t faze me. It’s so exciting. I like giving everything a go and improving my knowledge and skills to help people who are sometimes also being adventurous, like me. It was one of my biggest thrills earning my red jacket, which means I first qualified as a full operational member of the team, ready to go out on search and rescue tasks. It does mean being on-call at any time of day and night, which can impact on your life, but it’s important.”