Registered charity Number 1186781

Penny Brockman O.B.E
Penny Brockman – Chair of Trustees, awarded OBE

CBMRT is delighted to share the news that Penny Brockman, Chair of Trustees, has been made an OBE in His Majesty’s Birthday Honours List for 2024.

This is recognising her services to Mountain Rescue in the UK, including to the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team and Mountain Rescue England & Wales.

We are proud that Penny has been part of CBMRT since 1986 when she was introduced to the team through the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Penny later married Peter Howells, one of our founder members. Over the years she has held a number of operational and leadership positions including Team Leader and Treasurer. Notably, Penny was Team Leader at the time of the catastrophic fire of 2017 and her work ensured our swift return to operational readiness and led us through to complete recovery. This crisis-management experience also stood her in good stead as she later led us through the Covid-19 pandemic. Penny has been a consistent and energetic fund-raiser for the team where her fundraising and leadership efforts have resulted in major funds for the team.

This award is also for her long-term strategic leadership at a national level including as Finance Director for Mountain Rescue England & Wales.

Penny is thrilled to receive this honour and said: “it absolutely reflects all the support from the team over the years and, in particular, from Peter. I love to think how he would have grinned and chuckled with pride had he still been with us.

Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team is a voluntary organisation that operates in the Brecon Beacons National Park incorporating Pen y Fan the highest point in southern Britain as well as the beautiful waterfalls of Ystradfellte, and Cardiff, Caerphilly and Newport. We have been supporting the communities of Mid and South Wales since 1963.

Our Mission


The relief of suffering and distress of those endangered by accident or natural hazard, in South and Mid Wales but without geographical limitation by: searching for and rescuing people in difficulties in mountainous regions or inhospitable environments, raising awareness of mountain safety, developing rescue techniques, provide training and working effectively with other rescue services.

Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team covers South, Mid and West Wales, Central area of the Brecon Beacons, incorporating Pen y Fan, and the Ystradfellte waterfalls, Cardiff, Caerphilly, the Valleys and Newport. Brecon Beacons Mountain Rescue Team.