Kendal-based mountain running company Ourea Events has donated almost £9,000 to their local Mountain Search and Rescue Team.
Ourea organised the Kendal Mountain Festival 10K trail run as a not-for-profit race in November last year, and have donated the excess £8,815.74 from entry fees to the Mountain Rescue team, who had volunteers on duty on the day of the race to enable the event to go ahead safely.
The race organising company covered the costs of staff time in order to maximise the donation, while the record 750 entrants were also encouraged to make additional donations.
A “vital service”
Ourea organise such races as the Dragon’s Back and Cape Wrath Ultra, but took the opportunity to give back to the Mountain Rescue volunteers who facilitate such events when they were asked to organise the Kendal Mountain Festival 10k trail race.
“All of the events that we organise take our participants into the mountains,” Shane Ohly of Ourea Events said, “we have a real understanding and huge appreciation of the amazing work done by Mountain Rescue volunteers, mostly funded through donations.
“Event organisers should never take this vital service for granted and we took this opportunity to give something back.
“I’m delighted that the trail run was a success, but even more so that we succeeded in raising so much money for Kendal Mountain Search and Rescue Team.”
“Keeping our team of volunteers ‘rescue ready’ is a costly business,” Kendal Mountain Search and Rescue team leader Kath Jackson said, “the support from Ourea Events and the trail running community following the Kendal Mountain Festival 10K trail race is warmly welcomed.
“Without businesses and individuals donating we simply couldn’t be there to attend incidents 24 hours a day year-round.”
You can find more information about Kendal Mountain Search and Rescue Team here, and the Kendal Mountain Festival here.
