A NEW educational resource to give primary school children an insight into a Lake District mountain rescue team has been launched.

Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) has been working with former team member and freelance writer Anja Phoenix to create a pack of materials to introduce the team’s work to youngsters.

Using a character based on one of the team’s vehicles, Will, the Land Rover, Anja has developed the pack and is now excited to see it in use in local schools.

She said: “The Patterdale team hosts several visits each year for local children, from school groups to Cub Scouts and others, and we have some really committed young fundraisers too so we know there’s lots of interest in what we do, but it is sometimes hard to explain.

"The idea of the pack is to explain what mountain rescue does in a really fun and informative way and to encourage children and their teachers to ask lots of questions, explore the ideas and use the pack as the basis for creative writing and other projects.”

Patterdale MRT team leader Mike Blakey said: “The pack is colourful and cheerful but also has some strong messages about the range of skills on the team and the voluntary nature of what we do.

"It should be a great resource for teachers in local schools and we’re looking forward to seeing the ideas and work that come out of it in the next few years.”

The pack was launched during a visit to the team base by Patterdale CofE Primary School, with the presentation of the first pack to head teacher Liz Stewart.

“Our children are familiar with mountain rescue,” she said. "But they still had lots of questions during their tour and enjoyed finding out more, especially about the Land Rover ambulances, the special stretcher and the Patterdale Team’s boat.

"The education pack should be really useful in helping lots of other schools, not as local to a mountain rescue team as we are, to find out more about how this brilliant service and its volunteers work.”

Copies of the education pack are now being distributed to other local primary schools and the materials are available to download from www.mountainrescue.org.uk/education-pack