WE have some lovely countryside in Lancashire - but the terrain and weather also mean that wild, unspoilt beauty spots can quickly become extremely hazardous.

That sometimes puts lives at risk and people in need of urgent help in wild places.

Mountain and fell rescue teams across the county fulfill a vital role in finding the injured and getting them to hospital swiftly - because they are close at hand and have personal knowledge of hills and moorland which no one could expect of the emergency services.

Amazingly, too, in this mercenary age, teams like the Bowland Pennine carry out their work without getting paid.

In this situation, Bowland Pennine truly deserve the royal praise of a Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

What they didn't deserve was the mean-minded snub they got earlier this year when they applied for a £200,000 grant to pay for a new base to store rescue vehicles closer to the motorway network so they could be on the scene even faster.

The reason given for the refusal was that they did not do enough to benefit minority groups - as if they could control who they rescued.

The same minister who announced the Queen's award and praised them should now order a rethink of this absurd lottery cash decision.