Patrick Relay News from the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team
Autumn 2020
A strange summer of rescues It’s been a strange summer for the Team: we’ve had to be ready for action with COVID-19 precautions in place, but the spring and early summer were very quiet – just one call-out between the end of March and the end of June. Then things went a bit crazy over the summer as there was a huge influx of visitors, many of them unfamiliar with the Lake District or with good practise in its fells and mountains. Thanks go to everyone in the Ullswater valley who helped us in trying to get #BeAdventureSmart messages out to these visitors. Accommodation providers, Glenridding TIC, outdoor shops, and the cafes and pubs in the valley all worked hard and their support is hugely appreciated. In parallel with 2020 incidents, it’s been quite odd more recently to see some of our past call-outs on TV. We’d been working with Tern TV on the ‘Emergency Rescue:
Air, Land and Sea’ series for several months and have now featured in several programmes. The series is broadcast on More4 on Saturday and Sunday evenings, and several Team members have been interviewed with video footage of the actual incidents used. Deputy Team Leader,Sean Duffy, even featured in the publicity for the new series!
Mobile 3 heads south If you’ve been following our New Defender Appeal (see page 3) then you’ll know that the new vehicle is replacing our old Mobile 3 Land Rover. Mobile 3 has completed 16
years of service with the Team - 12 is usually the maximum in the kind of terrain that we serve - but there is still life in the vehicle and it has headed south to Dartmoor.
Shona and Simon with Mike, Glenn and Neil from Patterdale We said farewell in early October as Vehicle Officer, Mike Childs, handed over the keys to Mobile 3 to Shona Fernyhough and Simon Rhymes of Ashburton MRT. The Dartmoor-based team’s purchase of Mobile 3 made a much appreciated
contribution to our fundraising too, with £15,000 added to the Appeal funds. “We hope Mobile 3 serves them as well as it has served us,” said Deputy Team Leader, Matt Cox. “It was like saying
farewell to a loyal and long-serving friend and leaves us with just three vehicles at present. We’re hoping to have our New Defender supporting us on operations very soon and to see the appeal meet its £85,000 target too.”
Visit the NEW Patterdale Mountain Rescue web site at www.mountainrescue.org.uk for latest call outs
We are now Titanium Back in July, the following post appeared on the Team’s Facebook channel: “Over the last couple of months COVID-19 has significantly reduced the number of call outs our Team has had. We are quite relieved not many people have set out on the high fells, so a big thank you!
However, the Team has kept busy by looking into ways to reduce the weight of kit carried by members on call outs. One area we looked into was the weight of our stretchers. After the review we decided to purchase a new lightweight Titan Titanium stretcher. The new stretcher in basic form weighs 8kg compared to our current stretchers that weigh in the region of 27kg. The new stretcher has a detachable wheel, detachable carrying handles, a detachable head guard and a sled for going down slopes. Let’s hope we don’t have to use it too often!” (Written by Archie (10 years old) for my Dad who is Team Leader) The new stretcher has already proved its worth on a number of call-outs, and the much lighter weight has been a boon while the Team has to wear PPE and carry other COVID-19-related clothing and equipment. The wheel is an innovation that really speeds things up and smooths out the ride for the casualty, and the Titan can be assembled and taken apart really easily. In fact, Archie and his brother, Ollie and sister, Charlotte successfully put it together on a visit to Base - so literally, child’s play!
Family Heritage The Rippon family’s interest and involvement in mountain rescue is now into its third generation. Mum, Katie, remembers her dad, Tony Burton, dashing off and regularly missing Sunday lunch due to call-outs. Tony was a member of Patterdale MRT and also a dog handler, which could mean call-outs across Cumbria, and beyond. Team Leader, Mike, has been involved in MR for 26 years now, so the children have all grown up understanding that plans can change suddenly. But they also enjoy the opportunities and appreciate what Dad does as an MR volunteer: “It’s good that my Dad saves lives,” says Archie, “and we like visiting Base and learning about some of the mountain skills too.” Ollie, who is 8, brought his Yanwath School class to Base on a visit before the pandemic restrictions: “It’s a good place to see and they looked around the vehicles and the control room and learned about MR.” Sometimes, the youngsters have ended up at Base while Dad’s on a call-out but they enjoy that too: “We usually have to sit in the kitchen area but Jacquie (Freeborn) has also let me sit in Control to watch what’s happening,” says Charlotte (9), “and we get to eat chocolate biscuits or Sean’s Rocky Road. We’ve helped out on Open Days too.” Given that the Rippons climbed their first Scottish Munro (Lochnagar near Braemar) in the summer, there could be a third generation involved in MR very soon.
OUR NEW WEBSITE HAS GONE LIVE! www.mountainrescue.org.uk
New Defender Appeal passes the £40,000 milestone Huge thanks go to everyone who has supported our New Defender Land Rover Appeal since it was launched in the summer. The support we’ve received in these challenging times has been hugely encouraging. Recent income from the sale of Mobile 3 (see page 1) and several generous donations have made a huge difference to the Appeal. With Gift Aid added, our total has reached £40,000. Sales of the Ullswater Valley 2021 Calendar are also generating valuable funds as Patrick Relay goes to press. We set a target of raising £85,000 – the price of the new vehicle plus the full
ur o g n i t a r b e Cel cape local lands The Ullswater Valley calendar 2021 has already proved a fundraising success with the first printing of 100 copies selling out within just a couple of weeks. A second printing of double that number by Penrith Posters is continuing to sell well and has made a significant contribution to the Appeal.
costs of adapting it for Mountain Rescue – by the end of 2021. With fewer local events and limitations on supporter fundraising, it’s a tough challenge but passing the £40,000 mark is really encouraging. Thank you.
The calendar was the idea of Mike Childs LRPS (a keen photographer and Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society as well as being the Team’s Vehicles Officer!) and his wife, Ann Childs, a Trustee and fundraiser for the Teamw. Supporters, Team members and Trustees, past and present, were invited to submit photographs of the Ullswater area, which is served by the Team. There was a very good response, making it possible to select an appropriate seasonal scene for each month.
Fundraising by Facebook Friends A big thank you also goes to the friends and family of Helen Matchett and “Stella”. They each organised a Facebook birthday fundraiser in aid of the New Defender Appeal and raised nearly £1,000 between them. Helen got in touch and explained the background: “I did the 40th birthday fundraiser for the Team in memory of my lovely Dad, Hugh Fox, who passed away after a fall on Helvellyn in 2003. The Team was there on that horrific day to rescue him. The fundraiser raised over £600, and I am aware that some of my friends have donated directly too. Wishing you all the best with the Appeal and thank you so much for all you do x” “This seems such a great way of encouraging giving,” says PMRA Treasurer, Jane Newport, “but we only get notification of first names when the money is paid into our account. Fortunately, Helen spotted a ‘Thank you’ post on the Team’s Facebook page but if anyone knows Stella, please thank her on our behalf!”
So far, we know of calendars heading for the USA, New Zealand and across the UK. They are selling online via the website Shop for £10 plus postage and packing. Calendars are also available in the Catstycam Outdoor Shop, the Tourist Information Centre in Glenridding, the Post Office in Greystoke and Another Weigh in Angel Lane, Penrith. Please place your orders as soon as possible – we’re keen to sell all the calendars and raise as much money as possible before the year’s end.
PATRICK RELAY l Autumn 2020
Giving trends
Team recognised by award of Royal honour Back in June, Patterdale MRT was honoured to be one of the twelve Lake District Mountain Rescue Teams that were announced as recipients of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS). This is the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK and it recognises outstanding work by volunteer groups which benefits their local communities. “The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service was created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee,” explains Chris Sanderson, our Chair of Trustees and a Deputy Lieutenant for Cumbria. “Recipients are announced each year on the second of June, the anniversary of Her Majesty’s Coronation.”
COVID-19 has had a huge impact on many aspects of our income. We’ve particularly noticed a significant fall in cash donations into our collecting boxes around the valley and from our trailer shop sales with so many events cancelled. “Cash was already in decline,”says Ken Hardcastle, Chair of our Fundraising Group, “and the pandemic has spurred us on to look at QR codes and other new ways to enable contactless giving so that visitors can still make a donation as easily as possible. We’re also keen to encourage more members of our Supporters’ Club as that is regular annual income. Membership could make a great Christmas gift for a mountain enthusiast. And there are details in our new online shop” www.mountainrescue.org.uk/shop
Life of Helvellyn film premier Cumbrian film-maker and photographer, Terry Abraham, has completed his trilogy of mountain films with ‘Life of a Mountain: Helvellyn’. The film features all aspects of life on and around Helvellyn so there are familiar faces to spot as well as glorious scenery to enjoy. Terry is generously raising funds for the Team with an auction of signed posters and other goodies linked to the Ambleside film premier in November. Details will be on our social media channels.
The award to the Lake District teams as a unit was seen as a great recognition of the huge amount of work and commitment put into mountain rescue by the current 400 or so volunteers within the twelve Lake District teams and also by all members from the 70 years of MR history in the region. Representatives of the Lake District teams will receive the award from Mrs Claire Hensman, Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria, as soon as pandemic restrictions allow.
Articles for Relay We are always looking for interesting articles or letters from supporters. Please write c/o Patrick Relay Editor, Ogilvie House, Patterdale, Cumbria CA11 0PJ The Patterdale Mountain Rescue Association Ltd. is a registered charity No1063329 and is affiliated to the Mountain Rescue Council of England and Wales.