Julia Bradbury: 'A local mountain rescue team is always ready to help'

Volunteer rescuers will raise their profile with events later this year designed to give the public an insight into their work.

Teams across England and Wales will take part in a national Mountain and Cave Rescue Awareness Day to demonstrate their skills.

The May Day bank holiday events follow last year’s successful inaugural awareness day and will again be organised by the umbrella organisation for mountain rescuers south of the border, Mountain Rescue England & Wales.

Chair David Allan, who is one of the co-ordinators of the awareness day, said: “The aim is to provide a focus for local teams – all volunteers – to organise events, demonstrations and fundraising in their own areas under a common banner.

“Last year, teams took part from Dartmoor to Cockermouth, Snowdonia to North Yorkshire, opening up their bases to visitors, abseiling down local beauty spots for funds and putting up displays at all sorts of weird and wonderful locations.

“We’re hoping that the 2011 Awarenss Day will give the public an opportunity to find out about the broad range of skills that these teams of volunteers offer, their commitment to training and service and the local need for funds and support.”

Prince William, patron of MRE&W and himself a search and rescue helicopter pilot with the RAF, is lending his support to the teams across the country. “Mountain rescue volunteers provide an invaluable service and do one of the bravest jobs imaginable,” he said.

Prince William: 'Volunteers do one of the bravest jobs imaginable'

“Whether it is a high-risk winter ice rescue or supporting a moorland search, their work saves countless lives. Running these teams involves a significant amount of commitment from the volunteers, and also major investments in training and equipment. They deserve every bit of support they can get.”

Television presenter and walking celebrity Julia Bradbury is also supporting the awareness day for the 53 mountain and cave rescue teams operating across the country. Ms Bradbury is also patron of the Search and Rescue Dogs Association and said: “I’ve been hillwalking for many years now. I’ve managed to avoid accidents but it’s comforting to know that, if things do go wrong, a local mountain rescue team is always ready to help.”

Mountain rescue stalwarts Judy Whiteside and Gail Todd will also begin a sponsored long-distance walk on the May Day bank holiday, 2 May, when they set off from St Bees in Cumbria to tackle the 309km (192-mile) Wainwright Coast to Coast route.

“Members of the local Wasdale MRT will be waving us off,” said Judy, “and we’re already getting great support on our justgiving page online. We’re planning to meet up with members of other teams, the Cave Rescue Organisation and Sarda along the way.”