Originally formed from members of Kendal, Keswick, Coniston and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Teams in the late 1970s, the group was very informal and met only occasionally. Its only recorded callout being to a trapped prospector in the mines of the Caldbeck fells.

During the 1980s it was placed on a more formal footing and became a separate team within the Lake District to deal exclusively with mine rescue incidents. All members are experienced mine explorers/cavers and many members are also members of a surface mountain rescue team. 

The team does not have a fixed base, instead running two Unimog vehicles, to carry the heavy specialist equipment required for rescue from potentially complex and unstable mines.