CALL OUT 30 – Call to assist Bolton Mountain Rescue Team

At 20:24 last night the team was contacted by North West Ambulance Service Greater Manchester control with the request to assist in the search for, and extraction of an injured mountain biker near Holcombe Moor, in windy, wet and cold weather conditions.

A 56 year old male had sustained an ankle injury, and was initially reported to have fallen a distance into an inaccessible location. 21 Bolton MRT team members attended and we also requested assistance from our colleagues at Rossendale & Pendle Mountain Rescue Team.

The team used SARCALL PhoneFind to accurately locate the casualty, and fortunately the situation was less serious than initially reported. The casualty was found on the track near Red Brook on Holcombe Moor. After treatment for his injuries by crews from the NWAS Hazardous Area Response Team and other NWAS personnel, MRT members kept the casualty warm and carried him to a BMRT vehicle parked on the track 250m away. From there he was transported along the moorland track to the NWAS ambulance parked around 1 mile away.

This incident involved close joint working between NWAS, Bolton MRT and Rossendale & Pendle MRT crews, all working together, along with the additional requirements of Covid-19 protocols, on a wet, windy and cold night on Holcombe Moor. All vehicles returned to base at 23:19.

We wish the man involved a speedy recovery and return to mountain biking.