Penrith MRT currently has 37 members (and search dog, Morag) but, like most MRTs, it always has new members joining the ranks.
The process starts when someone submits a completed recruitment form and, after a couple of different steps involving the team’s leadership and members, selected inductees are invited to become probationary members.
Over the course of a year or so, probationers get stuck into training, fundraising and, accompanied by a mentor, rescues and searches. Finally, the team considers their full membership and most join as new members.
Korrin Mai is one of seven current probationers and she got involved initially as a supporter and fundraiser. “For me joining the team was a long-term ambition from when I was a child.
"I remember my first encounter with MR on a ridge in the Lake District when I saw a team of people dressed in red jackets attend to a walker who was having a cardiac arrest.”
“Being a part of this team is being part of a family – the camaraderie and respect for one another stood out right from my first introduction. The team includes such a diverse mix of knowledge and experience from mountaineers, climbers, cavers, medics and even someone like me who just loves the outdoors.
"Commitment to the team requires time and enthusiasm with a good base knowledge of hill craft – and I love it.”
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