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Diary

Saturday 2nd December 2006 16:20hrs – Callout

Late Saturday afternoon and I have decided to take my four year old son to his first football match: New Mills Reserves V’s Oldham Town. With about fifteen minutes to go I happened to check my phone – this seems to be a reflex action you develop after being in the team for a while. I had a missed text message. “Callout – RV Hut”. It was about ten minutes old – I mustn’t have heard it over the roar of the crowd!

We quickly went home, where I got changed and headed out. New Mills were three goals up, so I guess the result was settled.

At the hut, a man had phoned in to say that he was lost and exhausted somewhere on the Kinder edge path. Two teams had been sent up Sandy Heys, to check in either direction, a team was checking the path from Kinder Low to the Downfall and another was going up the Three Knolls path to Red Brook. This covered the main path and the main escape routes. I was put in a team with Ken, Bob and “Tall” Paul and we were sent to clear the escape route up William Clough. We drove to the Filter House and set off along the side of the Kinder Reservoir.

It was a very clear moonlit night, to the point where we could switch off our torches and walk with just the moon lighting the way. As we walked along the path, we could see the lights of all the other teams following their routes up the hill.

When we got to William Clough, the path was pouring with water coming down from Kinder. We trudged up through the flooded path and made our way up the clough. Just as we were nearing the top, we managed to hear a message on the radio that a team had found him. The grid reference placed him near the top of Red Brook. Fortunately, he was well enough to be escorted back to the Landrover at Edale Cross.

We made our way back down and met up with Neil who was waiting by the Dam wall to give a lift to the returning teams. We made our way back to the hut and waited for the other teams to return. Eventually, everyone returned back and we adjourned to the pub. Job done!

Monday 4th December 2006 17:50hrs – Casualty Care Training….er no! Callout

Ten to six on a wet Monday night. The weather had been getting steadily worse all day, and now it was blowing a “Hoolie”. I had just finished my evening meal and was about to get ready for our regular Casualty Care training. Tonight’s session sounds good. One of the A&E Consultants who ran a training session for us back in May is coming over from Sheffield for another attempt at making us bring up our lunch.

Just as I am about to get ready, my phone starts bleeping at me. Callout – RV Hut. I quickly get my things together and throw in some extra wet weather gear. There is no point in taking my camera tonight, with weather like this, there is very little chance of it getting out of its case. Anyway, my daughter is “Mary” in a carol concert tonight, so I think it likely to get more use there.

When I arrived at the hut, a team was on it’s way out in a Landrover. Inside the hut, a message on the sign-in screen said the we were looking for a “Misplaced Australian”, somewhere between Kinder Low and Noe Stool. This is starting to sound familiar. The two previous shouts have involved searches for people in virtually the same area. We quickly made up two more teams and headed out in the other Landrover. I was in a team with Mike, Steve and Paul. We dropped Geoff’s team off at Moor Gate, they were heading up Kinder Low, and the other Paul then treated us to some excellent driving up a very rough track to Edale Cross.

We left the warmth of the Landrover into some of the worst weather I have seen in a long time. It was cold, pitch black and the rain was coming in sideways. For the TISWAS fans among you, the best way to describe it is like being on the wrong end of the “Bucket of Water” song. It was like someone was constantly pointing a hose pipe at us. Within minutes of getting out of the Landrover, we were all completely soaked. We headed up the path around Swinesback. Ten minutes into our search route found the man, sat in his Bivi tent. We were all pleased to find him quickly. Steve and Mike made sure he was OK to walk back to the Landrover, while I spent the next five minutes with Paul, yelling into the radio to make myself heard over the wind.

After a short walk, we had him back in the Landrover and soon back down at base. All that was left was for us to dry out the equipment and ourselves.

Friday 15th December 2006 19:30hrs – Carol Singing Fundraiser

We are well into the Christmas run up now. I had managed to miss our Wednesday training session on local knowledge as it was my son’s nativity play that night (I won’t bore you with the photos of him dressed as a shepherd). Tonight is our annual carol singing fundraising event, which involves us roaming around the pubs of Hayfield and singing carols until we are given enough money to go away! The evening starts in the Waltzing Weasel, where we are given a warm reception. We then move on to several other pubs around the area.

Our band was made up of four guitars, a banjo, and an Irish flute. This year they were getting even more professional and rumour had it that they had even been practicing. However this was quickly balanced out by the unharmonious wail of the drunken hoard that was following them round. Although I might add, what the rest of us missed out in talent, we more than made up with enthusiasm.

If you don’t believe me and are feeling brave, try clicking on the following links to watch a video of your (previously) favourite carol being murdered.

“Silent Night!” - In the Kinder Lodge

“We Three Kings” - In the Con Club

The night concluded in the George with more singing and beer. In fact the more we drank, the better it sounded – at least it did to me. I retired home to bed in the wee small hours in preparation for the next day’s headache!