Patrick Relay Autumn issue 2022

Patrick Relay News from the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team Autumn 2022

Remembering Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Dave Freeborn - at Buckingham Palace with The Queen, receiving an MBE

It was with enormous sadness that we learned of the death of Queen Elizabeth II following a reign as remarkable for its selflessness as its longevity.

Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team and Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW) have a long association with the Royal Family.

Earlier this year, 32 members of the team received the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal. A decade ago, Patterdale MRT was gifted a Land Rover given to the current Prince and Princess of Wales as a wedding gift. The Prince is, of course, the Patron of MREW. At the Queen’s funeral, Team Secretary Nigel Harling was on The Mall representing Cumbria Police in full no 1 dress.

Nigel Harling - Team secretary

Dave Freeborn, President of Pattredale Mountain Rescue Team relates that on the occasion of his investiture as an MBE for ‘Services to Patterdale Mountain Rescue’ by Her Majesty, at Buckingham Palace, he was overwhelmed by the sense of presence that the Queen radiated. “Her calm and dignified presence filled the whole of the ballroom. I felt so at ease talking to the Queen - It felt like having a chat with your favorite aunt.

Chris Sanderson, Chairman of Patterdale Mountain Rescue Association, recalls meeting the Queen on three occasions: “First, as a 19-year-old subaltern at a drinks reception at St James’s Palace for officers of The 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets to whom I was then attached. Like many others, I found it a surreal experience to actually speak with The Queen. Next, as a young Captain, I was privileged to coordinate the military support to her visit to Hong Kong in 1986, and to meet The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at lunch and aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. Lastly, I was honoured that Her Majesty conducted my MBE investiture in the ceremony following the First Gulf War in 1991.”

Angela Bell, Trustee and key member of our fundraising group, recalled summer in Windsor during the 1970s when, “We didn’t think it a big deal to see the Queen walking along the street or driving.

I remember thinking how she was just like any other person, so down to earth. I particularly remember her sparkling eyes.

on duty on The Mall

Her knowledge of the workings of MR was supreme and she was also aware of the Team’s involvement with the dreadful floods in Cumbria.

It was indeed an honour to receive the award from such a dedicated Monarch who truly understood the real meaning of service. We thank you ma’am!”

As Chris notes: “I hope we would all agree that we were immensely fortunate to be served for so long by such a remarkable woman.”

Visit the Patterdale Mountain Rescue web site at www.mountainrescue.org.uk for latest call outs

Scrambling Air Support

How does an emergency call turn into a helicopter rescue? Patterdale MRT’s Steve Dixon explains.

Last month, the Team were called out to an ankle injury on Striding Edge. Surprisingly, the first Team member on site had been 100 miles away in Prestwick when the call came in. By the time we arrived, the search and rescue (SAR) helicopter winch paramedic (our own Tom Abbey) had given appropriate medical aid and was winching the casualty onboard.

So how does this all happen?

SARs and helimeds If an injured walker on our patch rings 999, we are informed immediately via text from Cumbria Police (CUMPOL) or the NHS’s North West Ambulance Service (NWAS). The call is entered onto SARCALL, the UK’s multi-agency search and rescue incident management platform.

From that point, we can call on one of two aircraft services to come to our aid. Bristow’s SAR helicopters operate out of 10 bases, 24 hours a day. At Patterdale, our nearest bases are Prestwick and Caernarfon although there are plans for a summertime base at Carlisle in 2026. We can also call on the charity, the Great North Air Ambulance Service, which has a base near Penrith, but these ‘helimeds’ have no winching capabilities and can only operate in daytime.

Taking to the air Prior to joining the team, I had never been on a helicopter. I trained online and with Bristow at Prestwick Airport. By the time I found myself being lowered by winch onto Striding Edge on a very windy ‘summer’ day I was confident I knew what I was doing, if a little apprehensive!

It’s fair to say most Team members cheer up when they hear a helicopter has been tasked, even if it sometimes means the work is done by the time we arrive.

Ullswater Valley Calendar 2023 We’ve printed more copies of the latest Ullswater calendar (but we still hope it will be a sell-out!).

Our Ullswater Valley calendar has quickly become a popular annual fixture in our efforts to raise money for Patterdale MRT. Once again, the latest calendar has the Ullswater Valley as its theme, reflecting the heart of the area covered by the Team. It includes images of the valley taken throughout the seasons and at various times of the day and night.

We’re extremely grateful for the wonderful photographs taken by team members, trustees and supporters.

We’d also like to thank Ann Childs, a Trustee and member of our fundraising group behind the project, Team President Dave Freeborn for his work on the design, Mike Childs for gathering the images (and contributing a few himself), and H&H Reeds for printing.

Last year’s calendar sold worldwide, and we know that for many it brought

back happy memories of times spent in the Ullswater area. We think you’ll find the latest edition just as inspiring – and it makes a wonderful Christmas gift.

You can buy the calendar online now from the team’s website shop and from Catstycam Outdoor in Glenridding, via the shop or the Catstycam website.

It costs just £10.

Thank You, Theo This month, we say goodbye to Theo Weston, a member of Patterdale MRT since 1992. A doctor for 40 years, Theo will continue in that role and remain part of the Great North Air Ambulance Service and leader of the BEEP Doctors emergency response team, which has been pivotal in ensuring Cumbria has the emergency doctor callout service it needs. Theo’s incredible contribution to the county saw him awarded the MBE

in 2014 for services to victims of trauma.

Earlier this year he was named as a Platinum Jubilee Champion for his voluntary service. For decades he’s seemed as much a part of the landscape as the mountains around us. We’ll miss his skills and experience enormously - almost as much as we’ll miss him. So thank you, Theo. From everyone at Patterdale MRT, we wish you well in your (many!) other roles.

Keeping the Rescue Boat Afloat Our appeal to replace Patrick Scottie, our rigid inflatable rescue boat (RIB), is closing in on its target of £76,500.

Road vehicles often cannot reach incidents quickly enough (or at all) on Ullswater’s eastern shore and Patrick Scottie has been a genuine life-saver on many occasions. We know the new boat will prove just as important to the Team and the local community.

We’re delighted to say that the appeal to replace our 14-year-old rescue boat now stands at £64,600, just £11,900 shy of our target. Patrick Scottie has had a busy working life supporting us in rescues on Ullswater and in major flood events. As our means of transport to emergencies on the eastern side of Ullswater, it has also enabled us to transport Team members, kit and medical supplies across the lake with appropriate urgency.

If you could help us reach our target, we would be extremely grateful. Please go to our web site www.mountainrescue.org.uk Patrick Scottie? The boat is actually named The John Scott (Patrick Scottie is its call-sign), after the former Chairman of Patterdale Mountain Rescue Association and founder of our Supporters’ Club.

Inspiring the Rescuers of the Future Recently, we’ve been introducing medical students from Newcastle University to pre-hospital medicine and mountain rescue.

Hopefully, once qualified, they may want to join the Team and practice medicine in Cumbria. We could certainly use more doctors!

The outdoor weekend explored a variety of topics. The students learnt how to take a ‘primary survey’, which is how we assess casualties when we first meet them. Some got to practice this first hand when we had a callout to a fell runner with a suspected fractured ankle.

Susie Wilson, Team Member

They learnt about radio communications and basic navigation, and had lectures on expedition medicine including working for the flying doctors in Australia, working in Antarctica, and equestrian medicine. There was even a lecture from our winch-man paramedic. The weekend finished with them putting their new mountain rescue skills into practice with live scenarios on the hill.

Patterdale MRT in Action We’ve been involved in 77 incidents to date during 2022. Since our last Patrick Relay newsletter, these have included:

Extreme Gardening on Helvellyn A concerned walker raised the alarm that two men were unresponsive and not moving on the steep Helvellyn headwall. Two Team members investigated. As they ascended towards Red Tarn, they met the men heading back down. They worked for the John Muir Trust and had been on the headwall planting rare Arctic-Alpine plants. We like a good ending!

Aira Force Gorge Fall A male had suffered head, shoulder and back injuries falling around 20 metres into the gorge and water. The Team were already attending another incident at Red Tarn when they got the call. Part of the Team joined Cumbria Fire and Rescue, North West Ambulance and the air ambulance at the scene. Once the man was treated and stabilized, this precarious rescue required a technical rope system to haul him out of the gorge and place him on a stretcher where he could be taken to hospital.

Walker with Suspected Stroke In July, we assisted Cumbria Police on a callout to help a 69-year-old male who had felt unwell and become unsteady on his feet while walking with his colleagues in the Dovedale area. The Team located the group as they headed to Hartsop Above How. After treatment by Team doctors the man was stretchered off the hill and back to Patterdale base, from where he was transferred to Carlisle hospital having suffered a suspected stroke.

Stay Safe Advice for autumn and winter around Ullswater Winter is on its way. The clocks go back on October 30th.

That increases the risk of walkers becoming lost or overdue (the cause of around 25% of callouts) which is why we’d reiterate two key messages if you’re preparing to head outdoors over the coming months.

The first is “map, compass, torch and know how to use them”, because good planning and preparation are the key to staying safe.

The second is Adventure Smart’s safety awareness campaign. Ask yourself:

F Do I have the right gear?

F Do I know what the weather will be like?

F Am I confident that I have the knowledge and skills for the day?

If you can answer yes to all three questions, and have your map, compass and torch in your pack, you’re all set. Enjoy your activities, and stay safe this autumn.

Mike Rippon, Team Leader

Articles for Relay We are always looking for interesting articles or letters from supporters. Please write c/o Patrick Relay Editor, Ogilvie House, Patterdale, Cumbria CA11 0PJ The Patterdale Mountain Rescue Association Ltd. is a registered charity No1063329 and is affiliated to Mountain Rescue England and Wales.