by PAUL BESLEY. We're always proud to promote the creative work of our own membership and this comes hot off the press in time for Christmas 2024! 

Coming from a working-class background, Paul knew the worst and best of life in a Yorkshire steel town. He had always been drawn to the solitude of the hills, but that life nearly ended when a fall while hillwalking left him critically injured and alone in the mountains of the Lake District.

It was a local mountain rescue team that brought him to safety. The incident inspired him to transform his life, first by joining his local team, then by finding Scout, his Border collie puppy, and training him to become a mountain rescue search dog. In The Search, Paul writes with humour and honesty as we follow him and Scout through their complex training, with searches and rescue incidents — sometimes tragic and often funny. His demons and headstrong characters threaten to derail them, until his past finally catches up with him and his life inescapably unravels. It’s up to Scout to keep an eye on him now as Paul tries to build the best life he can.

Published by Vertebrate Publishing. Paperback. 224 pages.