PETER Howells has helped 2,000 walkers and climbers in the Brecon Beacons during more than 40 years of voluntary service.

Whether lost, injured or both, the chances are that if anyone has got into difficulties in the Beacons since the early 1960s, Mr Howells has had a role in bringing them to safety.

Add to these four decades of voluntary service to mountain rescue in South Wales his 30-plus years of policing in the special constabulary, and his OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List is especially well earned.

The citation states that the honour is given in recognition of his services to the police and to the mountain rescue service.

Mr Howells, 57, who lives in Edward VII Avenue in Newport, is "absolutely delighted" with the accolade, not least because of the acknowledgement it signals of the work of the mountain rescue service in Wales.

"It is a while since someone in the service in Wales was honoured like this, so it feels extra special.

"I am deeply grateful," said Mr Howells, who started as a 16-year-old in 1963.

Now involved in the management of incidents, Mr Howells is leader of the Central Beacons Rescue Team. "Living up there as a young person, I went on cubs and scouts camps in the countryside and, as I got older, on hikes into the Beacons," he said.

"I got more and more interested in the outdoors and have been involved with the mountain rescue service for 42 years.

"I've been out there in all weathers, and been involved in rescuing individuals and groups.

"Most of the injuries we deal with are leg injuries, from people tripping or slipping, but given the terrain, the potential for larger scale trauma injuries is always there."

Mr Howells' role has expanded into the national arena, as he has responsibility for training courses and national conferences.

A retired senior technical trainer with Hyder, he still finds time, too, to be chief commandant of Gwent's Special Constabulary, a role he has occupied since 1996. He joined the specials in the late 1960s, continuing when he moved to Newport in the early 1970s.