Thirty-strong rescue team called into action

An image from the incident near Dovestones

Thirty Mountain Rescue Team members from Oldham and Holme Valley were involved for four hours after being called out to assist two walkers in the Dovestones area after one had fallen and sustained a knee injury, leaving them unable to continue.

Initially the exact location was unclear, but once the walkers were able to describe where they had been, a team was deployed to search up Birchen Clough.

Thankfully, they were soon located.

On arrival it was clear both walkers were very cold after waiting in the wet, cold conditions.

The uninjured walker was supported by team members as they carefully made their way down the steep, rocky path and across the river to the team’s control vehicle to warm up.

The injured walker was placed in a warm blanket and secured onto a stretcher for a challenging carry down.

Due to the difficult terrain, this involved frequent use of two lines of mountain rescue volunteers to safely pass the stretcher over rocky sections along with an anchored safety rope as a back up.

Said an OMRT spokesperson: ”A huge thank you to Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team who joined us to help bring the casualty down safely.

"The casualty was then transported down a track to a waiting ambulance for further assessment.

"Thank you to everyone involved for their teamwork and determination in tough conditions.”

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