Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Diary

Mon 3rd January

Embarrased to discover that I've missed first aid training tonight. First aid is normally on the first Monday of the month. My assumption that we would not have training on the bank holiday turned out to be wrong. Make a mental note to use my new 2005 diary and the list of events on this website, with immediate effect. It later becomes clear that I am not alone in missing first aid. Perhaps a training session on diaries would be appropriate! Those who did attend brushed up on bandaging.

Wed 5th January

Called out at 10.15 to search for missing walker who had set off to walk from Torside to Edale on the Penine Way, but failed to arrive in Edale. Kinder team covered the main routes across and around the Kinder Plateau. For me, this was a search along the Penine Way from Snake Summit to Mill Hill and back down the Ashop River to the Snake Inn. Other Kinder hill parties covered Mill Hill, Sandy Heys, William Clough, the edge path, old and new Penine Way routes and the main routes down to Edale. Meanwhile, Edale, Glossop, Buxton and Derby teams were also involved searching Bleaklow and the Alport. The search was abandoned after dark. Team leader went to Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation debrief/planning meeting.

Received text message saying search would resume the next day. Later, a phone call from the Team Leader asking me to pick up one of the Team Landrovers.

Thu 6th January

Left the house at 07.00 to pick up one of the Team Landrovers and drive to our hut. Both team Landrovers loaded and driven to Torside car park for 08.30. Full scale search of the slopes of Bleaklow/Torside involving Kinder, Edale, Buxton, Derby, Glossop, Woodhead and Oldham teams, as well as Search and Rescue Dog Association (SARDA) dogs. Search completed at dusk, still without finding the casualty. Luckily, I'm off work this week anyway, but most other team members are having to juggle work commitments. It's not ideal to have to take 2 days off for Mountain Rescue after only 1 day back after the Christmas break. Luckily, most employers are understanding towards team member's commitment to Mountain Rescue.

Received text message saying that we will continue the search on Saturday, meeting at Glossop Fire Station (the home of Glossop MRT) at 09.00. I then spend an hour on the phone re-arranging my Saturday commitments to my walking group and sorting out a dog minder.

Sat 8th January

8.30 and loading up Landrovers with team kit before proceeding to Glossop Fire Station. Glossop and Kinder teams are to carry out detailed searches of the area north of Doctor's gate. My hill party line searches an area directly above Doctor's gate. It's hard work, 7 party members in a long line walking cross country, up and down every clough. Not helped by gale force winds and periodic hail showers.

Just having a break at around 12.00 when we hear that another Kinder hill party has found a body that matchs the description of the casualty. A great sense of relief that the search is over, even though the conclusion is so sad. We're all thinking about the family and hope that they can start to come to terms with what's happened.

My hill party returns to the Fire Station to wait for the police and a doctor. Everyone else stays on the hill. Everntually, we have Police Scene of Crime, CID and a doctor. We escort them all up to the casualty site. The police work is completed in around 30 minutes and the teams stretcher the body to the Glossop team vehicle. Everyone returns to the Fire Station, where the Police have provided some food and a hot drink.

After unloading the Landrovers back at Kinder Base, we retire to the pub for a couple of beers. It's now around 17.30 and we're feeling the effects of a long day today and of the previous two days on this job. There will be a proper debrief at the team meeting when everybody can be present, but of course we pick over the events of the week. The general feeling is of a job well done. We've operated in a highly professional way and I'm glad to be a part of it. At around 19.00 we wend our way home to have a bath, grab some tea and generally relax.

Sat 8th January - continued

It's 21.30 and I've just put my feet up in front of the TV. Text message from Chrissie, one of our Deputy Team Leaders - "Call Out RV Hut - Yes really"! Unbelievable! 10 minutes later, I'm at the hut. I'm in auto-pilot now - sign on, check radios, get a search light, check which party I'm in, get first aid kit and the hill kit (sleeping bag, casualty tent, karrimat, flares). We're looking for an elderly, diabetic man who's gone missing in New Mills. A briefing from Geoff, the Team Leader, and we're off to cover all of the footpaths around his house. I'm first aider tonight, so I'm running through treatments for a cold, possibly unconcious diabetic casualty in my mind.

Navigating through field paths in the dark is a bit of a nightmare, so I'm glad that it's Nick and not me with the map. We complete our search pattern and return to the hut at around midnight. Gradually, everyone else returns. Unfortunately, we've not found the missing person. Geoff tells us that, since we've been on the go since 8.00 that morning, if the Police need more area searching in the light tomorrow, they will call another team and we can take the day off.

Mountain Rescue is a voluntary service, but this week it's started to feel like a full time occupation!

Sun 9th January

Although we're not out on the hill (at least not yet!), I spend a couple of hours on the team website, adding the callouts to the list for 2005, updating this diary and adding a couple of other changes. I really will have a day off from Mountain Rescue tomorrow.

Wed 12th January

One Wednesday every month we have a training evening covering search and rescue techniques. Tonights session covered night search techniques, followed by updates on the new radios and the new landrover. So popular, there was standing room only! We finished off with a debriefing of last weeks callouts.Often on the callout itself, we only really know what our particular hill party is doing. The debrief covers the background to the callout and what everyone did, from the Controller and Team Leader to the individual hill parties. There was a lot to cover and we were there for over 2 hours.

The good news was that, because we've been out so much last week, Geoff has decided to postpone Saturday's night exercise. Our only instruction is to have a relaxing weekend!

Wed 19th January

I'm part of a small fundraising group, which had its first meeting tonight. Chris leads the group and outlines the issues: raising around half a million pounds for the new rescue centre (click Gateway to Kinder on the navigation panel), raising funds, typically a few thousand pounds, for particular kit e.g. new search lamps and finally, raising around £13,000 a year just to run the team. It all seems very daunting, but we come up with a few ideas to put to the team exec next week.

Sat 22nd January

I leave the house and walk over Ollerset Moor and Mount Famine to Moorgate, where we're having a dedication of the new Landrover by Hilary, the Vicar of Hayfield. There's a good turnout of team members, family and friends. No champagne, but a box of white is produced from somewhere and we toast the vehicles. To warm up, a few of us wander up Kinder Low End, across to 636, down the Kinder River, Red Brook, Cluther Rocks and back to Hayfield, taking in the two letter boxes and the Dogstone on the way.

Saturday 22nd January - later on

Around 70 members and partners attend the team dinner. The usual format of drink, food, speeches, raffle and band. Geoff's speech was remarkably short and John's remarkably close to the wind, given the Vicar was present. A good time had by all.

Monday 24th January

Chris, our chief fundraiser, and I go to the exec to present some ideas. I talk about online shopping via this website, from which we would gain commission. Watch this space! Having done our bit, Chris and I leave the exec to it.

Friday 28th January

The last Friday of every month is the team business meeting. We go through various items, the main one being incorporation. This means turning Kinder Mountain Rescue Team into a limited company and then re-registering it as a charity. This stops members of the exec being financially personally liable when they sign contracts on behalf of the team. This is particularly important as we are about to embark on the Gateway to Kinder project, where the KMRT contribution is estimated to be around £500,000. We have items from various members covering a wide range of topics. Impressed when the treasurer reports an outgoing of more that £26,000 for the second landrover. There's a very touching letter from the wife of the deceased casualty we found on 8th Jan. She thanks us for all our efforts and particularly for not giving up on the search. It brings home to us why we do this. We finish with a lively debate about a team hut weekend!

Sunday 30th January

Called out at 10.15 for a job in Disley to help Chesire Ambulance Service with a casualty on steep ground. Quickly make arrangements with Mike, my next door neighbour, to take my dog for a walk and rush off to the hut. The landrovers have been loaded with all our crag rescue gear. I jump in and we're off to Disley at full speed, a convey of two team landrovers using 'Blues and Twos'. We arrive to discover that the ambulance crew have extracted the casualty themselves and we're no longer needed. We return to Hayfield at a rather more sedate pace. It's all a bit of an anticlimax really.