Rescue team’s record number of missions

Three call-outs at the weekend have notched up Oldham Mountain Rescue Team’s busiest year on record.

In only five months, the gallant volunteer team has been involved in 45 operations — highlighted with dramatic incidents over two days.

On Friday, the team rushed to help an elderly man at Haughton Green, Denton, who had fallen 30 feet down a steep wooded slope near the bottom of his garden.

The team cut through dense undergrowth and trees to reach the injured man who had suspected spinal injuries.

He was placed on a special mattress, loaded on a stretcher, then hauled back up the slope using a ropes guided by team personnel.

Once up the slope, the injured man was handed over to paramedics. However, as the team was returning to its Saddleworth base, it received an emergency call from Park Bridge.

A man in his 30s had fractured and dislocated his ankle near the River Medlock. The team splinted his ankle and stretchered him to the road and he was taken to hospital in the team’s ambulance.

On Saturday, the team raced to a site at Wimberry Rocks below Indian’s Head above Chew Brook, Greenfield.

A Limeside man in his 30s was treated for ankle injuries at the scene before being taken to hospital. OMRT’s deputy leader, Denzil Broadhurst, said: “It was a very busy couple of days and pushed the number of turn-outs to our highest figure since we were formed 45 years ago.

“We had 44 callouts in the whole of last year to help 41 casualties —which needed a huge number of man hours, 1,778 in all, of rescue activity.”

Oldham Mountain Rescue Team is one of 53 teams of volunteers providing a search and rescue service prepared to help people in difficulties in the wild and remote places of the UK. The Oldham team covers the northern end of the Peak District National Park and the rural and urban areas of Greater Manchester. In addition to mountain rescue and search activities, the team is available as a back-up for the ambulance and fire services at busy times, during severe weather, major incident or where specialist skills are needed.