MOUNTAIN rescuers said Every Little Helps after Tesco shoppers chose them to receive vital funding.

Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team (DFMRT) has been handed £4,000 as part of the supermarket's Bags of Help scheme.

The entirely volunteer ran organisation was picked by Tesco shoppers to receive the grant from the supermarket and will put it towards group training sessions in search and rescue activities for volunteers.

The DFMRT help across a large area covering Ravenglass, Cartmel, the Duddon Valley, Millom and the westerly Furness Peninsulas.

The organisation’s team leader David Binks says he is 'extremely grateful' that local shoppers chose their group to receive the funding.

“Given the nature of the job at hand, we run sessions to ensure our members are fully trained and available 24/7, whenever the community needs us to keep them safe; whether that’s on the fells or in urban and rural areas," he said.

“We have a membership of about 40, which includes about 35 active members, and five probationers who undertake a year’s training before joining the active list.

“As a result, we’re very much reliant on our volunteers, however the training and equipment is an unavoidable expense.

"That’s why donations and grants from individuals and organisations such as Tesco are crucial”.

Martin Cooper, the team’s fundraising officer, said: “During a typical year we’ll undertake team training, usually for a full day and a couple of evenings each month, as well as training for smaller groups, such as swift water and winter training.

“To get maximum benefit, the courses usually involve a weekend away which brings with it the added expense of accommodation, transport and catering costs.

"This is where the Bags of Help funding has really come into play.

“In an ideal world, our services wouldn’t be required.

“However the reality is that we’re regularly called out for a wide variety of incidents, which puts our medical, mountaineering, driving and communication skills through rigorous testing - all of which must be maintained to the highest level.”