A new £1m extension to Keswick Mountain Rescue Team’s headquarters is set to put the town at the centre of outdoor emergency response in the north Lakes.
The development, which has been funded exclusively by donations, bequests and fundraising activities, almost doubles the size of the existing building, which is currently home to 50 volunteer rescuers.
Once fully operational, it will serve as a Silver Command coordination hub for all emergency services in the wake of floods and other major incidents in the area.
Team leader Chris Higgins said: “It’s a state-of-the-art facility and will not only transform operations of Keswick Mountain Rescue, but provide a much-needed base for other emergency responders in the event they are needed.
“In extreme circumstances in the past, such as the town being flooded, we have relied on the support of members from surrounding mountain rescue teams to help us.”
The completed extension includes parking for vehicles, storage space for equipment, training facilities, and a first-floor multi-function conference room which can be used for Silver Command operations.
A climbing wall will be installed later this year.
Kitchen and shower facilities have also been upgraded and an existing room has been turned into a canteen.
“Having space to co-ordinate up to 80 rescue personnel, to brief, feed and give them space to rest and recover before heading out again wasn’t easy,” Chris said. “Now we’ve got a modern set-up which is very much fit-for-purpose.”
Founded 73 years ago, Keswick Mountain Rescue Team operated out of a small garage beside Central Car Park until as late as 1996. The ramshackle headquarters was then redeveloped into the current premises on Lake Road.
However, as the numbers of volunteers have grown, space has become a premium.
Some of the team’s specialist vehicles and kit, including their water incident response vehicle, have no designated parking places.
“The building served us extremely well for 20 years but at the time of its conception and build we couldn’t foresee how we would expand to become the team we are today,” said Chris.
“We were having to shoehorn things into our base, and as a result things were becoming inefficient and difficult to manage.”
Plans to extend the building were first drawn up in 2016, although initial ground works did not commence until 2020.
Meanwhile it is hoped the extra space will enable Keswick Mountain Rescue Team to increase the number of volunteers to 55 in the coming months.
Team member Craig Dring said: “We need all the bodies we can get, because we have been hellishly busy recently.
“Last year we were dealing with two, sometimes three rescues a day, with each involving between 12 and 20 members and lasting several hours.”
The new extension was designed by Cockermouth-based architects Green Swallow and built by Cubby Construction. An official opening is planned for later this year.
