How it used to be

An Early Team Callout

The following article has been provided by one of the original members of the Sett Valley Team. The author prefers to remain anonymous:

It was Boxing Day and as I was shutting up the horses on the edge of dark, Dr Andrew called. There was a girl with friends at the Downfall. She had sustained a broken leg. One of the party had come down to obtain help; would I go to the reservoir house ASAP for the stretcher? He had also asked Brian Lomas to go – we were both members of the very recently formed rescue team.

We took the heavy Split-Thomas stretcher from our room and drove to Upper House, where an ambulance and two attendants had just arrived. They wore wellingtons and heavy Greatcoats.

Cluther Rocks was our route where there was light snow-cover with drifts. The two half-stretcher bearers kept sinking in and had great difficulty getting out. So we assembled the cumbersome stretcher and loaded it with sleeping bags, blankets, hot water bottles etc. That proved far from ideal; progress was far too slow and whilst we lurched around things fell off into the snow. The stretcher had no cover and no straps.

Brian happened to look back and saw a torch flashing, maybe from Van Achten’s at Upper House. Their teenage son had accompanied us and felt that it was from the special torch that he’d been given for Christmas and that we should return.

The girl at the Downfall had sustained a cut and bruised leg (not a broken one) so she had managed to walk down, with help. She was sitting by the stove at the Filter Plant looking pink and well whilst we had iced up eyebrows etc. and felt tired and utter failures. We learned from the incident that we must improve dramatically! Fortnightly exercises were instigated and weekly indoor sessions. We became more professional and obtained a lighter stretcher, casualty bag etc.