EXPLORER David Hempleman-Adams has added yet another accolade to his collection of awards, this time for bravery.

In 1998, Hempleman-Adams became the first person to achieve the adventurers' Grand Slam, reaching the geographic and magnetic North and South Poles as well as climbing the highest peaks in all seven continents.

The adventurer, who lives in Box, has now won the Royal Humane Society's bronze medal for bravery after saving fellow explorer Brian Price during an incident in Mount Everest last year.

Mr Price, 64, was supporting Mr Hempleman-Adams' attempt to fly solo over Everest last September.

He had climbed 17,000 feet into the Himalayas in order to launch weather balloons that were to check the conditions ready for the flight.

But unlike the rest of the team, the semi-retired businessman was unable to take anti-altitude sickness drugs because of medication he is on for Parkinson's Disease and a previous heart bypass.

He began to get pains in his chest, head, arms and legs, and developed a lesion on his pulmonary artery.

Mr Hempleman-Adams and two reporters covering the expedition rushed him by car towards China but were told by the authorities that a medical helicopter would not be allowed to land there. They then headed for the Nepali border, with Mr Hempleman-Adams at the wheel and the two reporters giving Mr Price drugs and oxygen.

After a 20-hour journey, they made the border with just minutes to spare before it closed for the night and Mr Price was flown to a hospital in Kathmandu.

Mr Hempleman-Adams, said he was flabbergasted at the award. "It has come as a complete surprise and it is a great honour. Brian went to school with my father and that is one of the reasons why we became firm friends," he said.