The Wilson's mountain rescue Kendal Mint Cake

It has been a source of nourishment and sustenance for fellwalkers for generations, and now a humble confectionery bar could be a lifesaver.

Kendal Mint Cake, carried by Sir Edmund Hillary on his successful 1953 Everest expedition, will play a vital part in helping those in distress on the Lakeland mountains in a unique tie-up with mountain rescue teams in the area.

Wilson’s, one of three companies making mint cake in the Cumbrian town, has produced 20,000 bars of the sugary energy snack to raise funds for the 12 mountain rescue teams in the area. 20p from each bar sold will go to the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association for distribution throughout the teams.

All the mountain rescue teams in the Lake District are volunteers and have to raise their own funds to enable their rescue work to be carried out.

As well as raising money for the teams, each of the special bars carries essential safety information about preparing for journeys on to the fells and what to do if you are unfortunate enough to need the mountain rescue services.

The advice from Richard Warren, chair of the LDSAMRA, is: “Don’t throw away the wrapper unless you are going to buy another bar; the safety messages are on the wrapper and need to be kept.”

The Kendal Mint Cake bars, which provide 323kCal of much needed energy when walking on the mountains of Cumbria, or any other fell, are made with sugar, glucose syrup, peppermint oil and salt. The confection was first produced in the former Westmorland town in 1869. The mixture is stirred constantly during production to stop it turning clear.

Wilson’s has been making mint cake since 1913 and is run by managing director Andrew Wilson, grandson of the founder of the business.

The bars will be sold through all their existing retailers throughout the county, including tourist shops, and should be widely available by Easter. The bars usually sell for about £1.

The mountain rescue safety card

Mountain rescue teams have been urging walkers and climbers to go properly prepared on to the uplands, following one of the busiest periods for many years. The advice on the bars includes checking weather forecasts, taking a mobile phone and wearing the right kind of clothing.

If successful, the firm could produce other confectionery in the mountain rescue range, to help the teams both raise funds and get across the safety message.

The LDSAMRA has also produced 15,000 safety cards which are being handed out to visitors to the district. These have similar hints on how to keep safe on the mountains and how to call out rescue teams.

These have been funded by Adventure Capital, which promotes outdoor and adventure tourism in Cumbria.