Mountain rescue volunteer and GP receives Distinguished Service Award for work during the pandemic

A mountain rescue volunteer and GP has been given a Distinguished Service Award by the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association for her work during the pandemic. 

As a doctor, Paula Cook has been on the front line protecting patients in the pandemic - but as a mountain rescue volunteer, the safety of her friends also fell on her shoulders.

Paula worked to help keep the Langdale and Ambleside team safe through covid - but it has been one hurdle after another.

She said: "We were looking at new types of personal protective equipment at a time when there were shortages nationally and yet do that in a way that did not in any way affect supplies to NHS services.

"Big paper suits and paper masks and respiratory masks and gloves are appropriate in a clinical setting but they don't necessarily translate too well to for example being on the top of Harrison Stickle in a very windy, wet day."

Her efforts meant the team could rescue over 60 people since last March.

Sarah Anderson, Deputy Team Leader at Langdale and Ambleside MRT said: "Paula kind of gave us the confidence through knowledge.

"If we know what we're doing to keep ourselves safe and we know what our options are it kind of helped everyone to just really kind of keep moving forward and stay positive and know that we were doing the most, the best that we could do in the circumstances, which were challenging for everyone."