Celebrated mountaineer and dalesman Alan Hinkes tells Jenny Needham why he's proud to be a 'dogsbody' ALAN HINKES, was born and bred in Romanby, just outside Northallerton, but lives now in Teesdale. Well-known for his mountaineering feats, he is also an internationally qualified Mountain Guide, photographer, film maker, writer and outdoor equipment tester, as well as giving inspirational talks about his adventures climbing the world's highest peaks. Alan is also a great supporter of Swaledale, Teesdale and Cleveland mountain rescue teams, raising money for the cause and taking photographs of training exercises to accompany the many articles he writes for various magazines. He has just been made patron of Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England (MRSDE), only the second person to hold the title. The honour comes as the charity, which trains dogs to search for missing people, celebrates its 50th anniversary. "I've quite often worked as a 'dogsbody', which entails heading off and letting the dogs find me," he says.