PATTERDALE Mountain Rescue Association is to equip the Great North Air Ambulance based at Penrith with a mountain rescue communications kit for its crew. The kit includes a handset, headset, microphone, batteries and charger and it will enable the crew of the air ambulance, Pride of Cumbria, to communicate with mountain rescue teams operating across Cumbria during incidents and call outs.

Patterdale's chairman of trustees Tim Jones said: "Once a crew member is out of the helicopter, he cannot communicate with rescue team members or the remaining crew until they meet up. This kit will enable continuous communications and should make us even more effective and efficient when we work together on search and rescue in the Lake District."

The kit has been set up for communications with all of the mountain rescue teams working across the Lakes.