Adam Nolan and Jasper hand over the cheque to Wasdale MRT

The grateful owner of a dog who got lost on a Lake District mountain, sparking a huge social media campaign has handed over more than £50,000 to the rescue team which carried the animal from the fell.

Adam Nolan and Jasper joined Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team yesterday to hand over the proceeds of an appeal launched after the dog was found.

The border collie spent more than three days on England’s highest mountain range after he became separated from Mr Nolan in poor visibility near Cam Spout Crag on Scafell.

He was eventually found by mountaineer Geoff Horky at 2.30am on Broad Crag, a subsidiary peak of Scafell Pike. Mr Horky rang police who alerted the rescue team to help him get Jasper to safety in freezing conditions in the dark on the mountain.

A Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team spokesperson said: “The Wasdale team responded to the 999 request and a party set out to locate them, treat Jasper’s injuries and carry him down the mountain in a makeshift rescue stretcher.

“When back at the base, to show his thanks, Adam set up a justgiving page and within minutes the donations to the team started pouring in with £1,500 in the first 30 minutes.

“The total raised to date is £51,547 from over 5,000 donations, all to help the team fund its planned and already partly funded new rescue base – estimated costs £350,000 to £500,000.

“In addition to the donations there will be a further £11,565 in government gift aid that will be used for equipment and training.”

Mr Nolan and Jasper joined the team at its annual meeting yesterday evening and handed over a cheque for £63,000.

The Wasdale MRT spokesperson said: “This is a truly fantastic sum of money that we never expected or dreamed of and we will ensure that the funds are wisely spent, contributing towards a new base that will ensure a more efficient volunteer rescue service to meet the increasing demands in search and rescue across the Lake District.”