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Our Charities Since the revival of the Langdale Charity Folk Festival we have chosen two charities to benefit from each Festival. These have included The Search & Rescue Dog Association (SARDA) Lakes, Fix the Fells, and the Great North Air Ambulance. Each of these play their part in making this fantastic area a safer place for all of us or preserving it for our continued enjoyment. In 2011 due to consensus of opinion we are raising funds for SARDA (Lakes) and Great North Air Ambulance.
However, when the location of the person in trouble is vague, unknown or if a person is just reported missing in the area then things can get much more difficult. This is where Search and Rescue Dogs and their handlers come into the picture. If a large area has to be searched then a trained dog can cover the ground in a fraction of the time that it takes us plodding humans. So time is gained and the chances of a successful outcome hugely increased. By the nature of the beast, searches often take place over difficult ground and in harsh weather conditions. A dog handler already has to be a full member of a regular rescue team which takes a lot of time effort and commitment. To add the training of a search dog to this requires even more - enough said I think you get the picture! We have made LDMRSD our ‘Pet’ Charity now for a number of years. When my mobile phone and GPS and torch all run out of battery power and I’m laying in the snow with a busted leg there is only one ‘high vis’ jacket that I want see – attached to a search dog! For further information visit the website at www.sardalakes.org.uk The Mountain Rescue Teams including SARDA receive no government or lottery funding. These dedicated people are all volunteers. They give their time and risk life and limb free of charge. It's up to us to ensure that they can carry on providing the same excellent service. It costs approx £1.2 M a year to operate ONE helicopter. But that is only a small part of the overall cost of the service. There are also costs of helicopter lease, fuel, pilots, medical crews, insurance, equipment etc, etc. For more details see the website at www.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk Like SARDA, GNAAS makes the mountains a safer place for all of us.
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Lake District Moutain Rescue Search Dogs. So with all this wandering around on the hills and rough terrain in variable weather conditions, sometimes things go wrong. If someone becomes ill or is hurt and has to be taken off the hill, this is where our volunteer Mountain Rescue Services come into their own. Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team are a very busy and efficient team and do a fantastic job (perhaps they should get a little more Government support – (please click 
The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) operates 3 helicopters based at Teeside, Cumbria and Northumberland.