The Wasdale team will be out and about over the forthcoming Bank Holiday weekends.  On Monday 2nd May the team will be supporting the national body during the Mountain and Cave Rescue Awareness day by giving two female mountain rescuers an early send off from St. Bees beach where they will start their Coast to Coast challenge walk in support of the national body’s benevolent fund (MREW).  As they make their way across Cumbria and Northern England they will be met by the other ten mountain rescue teams whose areas they cross.  Their target is to raise at least £5,000 to start the benevolent fund and they have already raised over £1,600 to date.  For more details about their challenge see the attached MREW Press release or visit www.justgiving.com/twirliesontour.

After we have waved off the two ladies on their way to Ennerdale Bridge to meet up with the Cockermouth MRT, we will take the Wasdale team’s Landrover up to Wasdale Head where we will set up our display boards and be on hand to answer any questions that the passing walkers and climbers may wish to ask about our purely voluntary service.  We will also use it as an opportunity to send out the messages about safety on the hills and the need for walkers to be well prepared, taking the good old map, compass and torch rather than rely on the mobile phone and new smart phone applications that are being used more and more these days.

The Wasdale team is manned by unpaid volunteer professionals.  We are on call 24 hours a day 365 days a year and have seen a 50 % increase in incidents over the past five years.  We typically handle well over 100 callouts each year and are funded purely by voluntary donations.  Any member of the public who wishes to support the team should visit our website www.wasdale-mountain-rescue.org.uk

For further information regarding this press release please contact the team Chairman, Richard Warren on 07715 700 324; or Home 01946 62176