reduce the number of call outs for volunteer rescue teams.
Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW) is celebrating the distribution of the latest edition of its safety advice leaflet for walkers, climbers and cyclists.
Since the first edition in 2017, more than 50,000 of these simple leaflets have been handed out across England and Wales and the latest edition focuses on making a good day better by planning adventures before you set out.
“The idea for a leaflet was initially developed in Cumbria by the regional organisation there, the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association or LDSAMRA for short,” says MREW’s Vice Chair and Operations Lead, Mike Margeson. “When that proved really useful, MREW created a national version and this has gone through a number of versions, each one building on latest experience and changes in the outdoor world.”
The focus on planning and preparation is consistent with #BeAdventureSmart, a national campaign involving a wide range of outdoors organisations, including MREW and particularly the Mountain Rescue teams in North Wales, the Lake District and other National Park areas.
Nick Owen has led this campaign for LDSAMRA: “It’s all about encouraging people to enjoy the mountains by planning and being prepared,” says Nick, “and making a good day better. The focus of the advice is three simple questions about the right gear, an awareness of the weather forecast and having the knowledge and skills for the day ahead. If we can just get people to think about these things before they set off, people can keep themselves safe and we can reduce the number of avoidable call outs that are putting our voluntary service under growing pressure.”
Printing of the leaflets has always been sponsored by outdoor publishers, Cicerone. “Supporting charities directly associated with mountain activities is a vital part of our role as responsible guidebook publishers and we are delighted to continue to sponsor this mountain safety information leaflet,” says Lesley Williams, co-owner of Cicerone. “We know that a lot of those heading off into the hills use our guidebooks and we have published information books on skills such as navigation too. Printing and publishing is our area of expertise and it’s good to use that and play a positive role in supporting Mountain Rescue.”
If you know of a way of getting copies of the latest leaflet into the hands of even more people who are heading for the hills, please contact MREW via the website at www.mountain.rescue.org.uk or via social media.
