Patrick Relay Summer 2018

News from the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team

Patrick Relay

Summer 2018

Legends support fundraising When Team member, Stuart Smith said he could get a couple of friends to pose with the poster for our Ullswater Steamer fundraising cruise, it sounded like a reasonable picture to help sell the tickets.

When those two friends turned out to be mountaineering legends, there was no wonder that the Facebook reach rapidly passed 4000. Thanks to Doug Scott and Alan Hinkes for their support and to Stuart for thinking to take the photograph.

The night itself was dry and Team members, supporters and guests enjoyed live music from the Bryce Street Strummers community ukulele group, a finger buffet and bar as well as the great scenery around Ullswater. With just over 70 people in all, the night raised about £1000 for Team funds as well as being a memorable midsummer’s evening.

Thank you to everyone who contributed in any way at all and especially to Mark Horton and the team at Ullswater Steamers for donating the use of Raven for that night.

One person who was wearing two hats for the Ullswater Cruise was Team probationer, Tony Recchia, who works part-time on the steamers. “I feel fortunate to be both living and working in the beautiful Ullswater Valley,” he says.

“This has the obvious bonus that I’m on the spot for Team callouts and rescues, as long as I’m not working on the lake. I felt really proud to be supporting both the Ullswater Steamers and the MR Team at the fundraising cruise. It was obvious that everyone involved (including my crew member colleagues) enjoyed the evening.”

OPEN DAYS Thank you to everyone who came along to our most recent Open Day – especially those who made a donation too! This was the third Open day of 2018 and we’re planning another one for October, probably at the start of half term (Sunday 21 October) so look out for details on the website and social media.

There’s always plenty of cake (thank you to all the bakers), Team merchandise on sale from the trailer and plenty for visitors of all ages to see and do around the Rescue

Centre. We’ve averaged about 100 visitors per day at recent openings and it’s always fascinating to hear the questions we’re asked …

Sam, 8 years old “Where does the helicopter land?”

Jessica, 16 years old “How often are the search dogs used?”

David, 24 years old “What vehicle will replace the Land Rover Defenders?”

Janet (age given but not published!)

“Are you really on call 24/7?“

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

Less than 3 hours in the life of a rescue volunteer

Mark Tomlinson is a probationer with the Team. He lives in Greystoke and, after retiring from the Police, works as a sales assistant at GO Outdoors in Penrith. The following timeline is pretty typical for many Team members and gives an indication of our pressure and response times.

1300hrs I am at work and the vibration of my phone alerts me to a text. It is from CUMPOL. This is an alert from the police who have taken a 999 call for assistance in the mountains and the text to me is one that all the Team members get.

It reads that there is a 45-year-old man with a suspected broken ankle on Striding Edge.

Unless we can get the assistance of a helicopter (not guaranteed), I envisage carrying the casualty on a long and technical descent. I approach my manager to see if I can be excused.

1303 I receive a text from SARCALL which is from the Team duty leader. It says Stand by, Gathering information.

At 1305 another text from SARCALL, FT (full team) come to base. I am given leave by my manager – can make up the hours another day - and I run out to my car.

I use my own car to get to base and I have to adhere to the laws of the road, just like anyone else. I cannot speed or go through red lights and do not have blue lights, sirens or legal authority to break any traffic regulations while driving my own vehicle.

1311 I am being held up at the traffic lights at the A66/M6 roundabout and then, once on the road to Ullswater and Glenridding, I am restricted to 60mph on a very twisty road with few safe places to overtake. I get stuck behind a vehicle that does not travel any faster than 45mph, mostly doing 30mph, until I eventually have a safe place to pass on the lake road.

1325 I pass the Aira Force lower car park, no traffic and I hear on the radio that a Team Land Rover with three members aboard is leaving base for Greenside Mine. The three are all medically qualified to care for casualties.

1333 I pull into the base car park – just two minutes later than the RAC route planner predicted for my journey. The other two Land Rovers are already out of the garage and ready to be deployed. There are three other team members kitted up and ready so I grab my holdall from my car and change into my mountain clothing and boots as quickly as I can. I look at the computer screen in the garage and get the full details of the job. I grab my ready prepared personal rucksack and join the other team members.

At 1337 five of us head off to the Greenside Mine area which is the nearest point a vehicle can get to the casualty.

Blues and twos now and slow vehicles get out of our way.

We arrive at the track above Greenside, park up, share out equipment and strap our personal sacks onto the Team rucksacks. I grab the crag sack which contains the climbing hardware and stretcher lowering equipment. It is heavy.

1347 We all head off up the path towards Red Tarn. It is a hot day and I am soon sweating.

1406 I hear on my radio that the first members are with the casualty. I am passing Red Tarn and can just make out the red jackets about half way along Striding Edge. We take a direct route up onto the Edge, which is very busy with walkers.

1420 I arrive and the casualty is already in one of our splints and being looked after by one of our team doctors. Other team members arrive on the scene and the stretcher arrives.

1440 I am tasked with keeping the area of the Edge towards Helvellyn clear of walkers as we have managed to get a helicopter. A stroke of luck as a Coastguard helicopter with winch has been stood down at another job in the Lake District and been diverted to us. As it can hoist, we decide to package the casualty, which means wrap up and strap into a stretcher ready to be winched into a helicopter.

1457 The helicopter arrives and lowers a winchman down on to the edge.

1514 The casualty and winchman are hoisted up into the helicopter.

1520 Pack up all our kit and make our way down, back to the Land Rovers, back to base and back to re-pack and ensure that we’re ready for next time.

Visit the Patterdale Mountain Rescue web site at www. mounta

A different day in the hills The annual Hodgson Brothers Mountain Relay fell race takes place on the first Sunday in October. It is the longest running mountain relay in the country and is essentially a high level tour of the Team’s patch, taking in a number of summits including High Street, Red Screes, Hart Crag, Fairfield and St Sunday Crag.

As well as being available to help any runners who get into difficulties, it seems too good an opportunity not to get involved as well.

Mark’s boss at GO Outdoors is Graeme Humes:

The route involves some good steep climbs and technical descents on interesting terrain and, in bad weather, good navigation is required especially when a pair are looking at the ideal racing lines away from the main paths. In total, the route is about 36km and involves around 2800m of ascent.

Teams of eight runners complete in pairs over four legs and, as a

“Mark is really organised about planning his shifts and rotas around the training plan for the Team so there’ve only been a couple of emergency call outs where other staff have had to step in and cover for him.

That slight hassle is nothing compared with the benefits of having his expert knowledge and reassurance in the store.“ “He can explain the pros and cons of particular garments to customers and share his firsthand experience of what’s needed in the Lake District, whether for summer or winter conditions. Mark’s knowledge and advice is priceless and customers really take it on board when they realise he’s part of the MR Team.”

ainrescue.org.uk for latest call out information and Team news

Mountain Rescue Team, we have been competing against the best fell running clubs in the North West.

Over recent years we have also involved our friends at Penrith MRT. Al McCaig is one of those who have taken part in recent years: “While we’ll never set the world of fell running alight, we have never been last* either! All in all, the Hodgson is a good opportunity to raise the profile of the Team and also a social day where we can enjoy a good blast around the patch without carrying heavy gear.”

If any of our supporters are interested, entries for 2018’s race opened on 8 July and you can find out more at www.hbmr.org.uk. *While we were technically 64th out of 64 teams at one point, our placing did improve!

PATRICK RELAY l Summer 2018

Avoiding the avoidable Last year, the twelve Lake District Mountain Rescue teams dealt with 543 searches and rescues and, nationally, there were only nine days in 2017 without at least one MR team in England or Wales being called out.

The challenge to volunteers involved in MR (and for their families and employers too) is how to reduce this number or, at the very least, slow down the accelerating trend.

Another initiative to try to explain MR and give topical safety advice is the new blog on the national website of MREW (Mountain Rescue England and Wales).

This has already featured an item in response to complaints about a rescue team not responding to a call (the walker was “wet”) and it is hoped that the blog will generate comment and be promoted on social media so that its messages reach a wider audience. You can read more at www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/blog.

The #AdventureSmartWales campaign with Visit Wales and other partners is one approach and MR teams in the Lake District are contributing regular articles to the local magazine, Lakeland Walker, At the invitation of the editor,Patterdale Team Leader, Mike Blakey wrote an article on safety for the March/April issue. These articles will continue, explaining how MR works and what people can do to stay safe while hoping that readers will include inexperienced walkers and visitors as well as regulars on the fells.

Meeting supporters The Team trailer has been out and about in recent months and will be at the Lowther Show .

This year we’ll also have a Team Land Rover on site and there’ll be a chance to look around the vehicle and see the equipment installed to convert it into a mountain ambulance.

“People who come along to see us at Lowther can have a picture taken in the driver’s seat of a Team Land

Rover,” says Fundraising Committee member, Angela Bell, “and Team members will be demonstrating how to put the stretcher together.

It’s a great opportunity for visitors to the Show to meet active Team members and to find out more about mountain rescue.”

In the past, attractions to our stand have included buskers and the chance to try out our rescue stretcher for size as well as plenty of fundraising goodies to buy.

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 the Mountain Rescue Council of England and Wales.