Mountain rescue team members are fit and skilled volunteers who are on call, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and who make themselves available to recover injured and sick casualties safely into vital hospital care.
As a paraglider pilot, runner or hill walker, no one can ever be certain that they won’t need the help and assistance of mountain rescue at some moment in the future.
The English Lake District boasts four peaks over 3,000 feet including Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England.
There are twelve mountain rescue teams in the area; Cockermouth, Coniston, Duddon & Furness, Kendal, Keswick, Kirkby Stephen, Langdale Ambleside, Patterdale, Penrith and Wasdale plus COMRU and the Lake District Mountain Rescue Search Dogs.
Formed in 1947, soon after the Coniston team, Keswick Mountain Rescue Team is primarily responsible for the area including England’s three highest mountains – Skiddaw, Helvellyn and Scafell Pike.
Teams rely entirely on charitable fund raising as each team must find money to maintain their team base, run and maintain their vehicles, buy and replace waterproof clothing and medical equipment.
Funds raised go a long way towards supporting the teams by providing or subsidising some of the larger items of equipment such as stretchers, casualty bags and vacuum mattresses, or key items of clothing.
It also helps towards the cost of insurance for team members and vehicles and provides subsidised, nationally run training courses.