At lectures and the like we often get asked if we have ever been called out on Christmas Day, the answer is that we have been called out on searches and rescues on every public holiday/event other than Christmas Day itself.

However we have been contacted on Christmas Day to be ’briefed’ and attend a search on Boxing Day, this has only happened the once back in 1988, when our now Team Leader, in post as Deputy Leader at the time fielded a telephone call during his family Christmas Dinner, from our colleagues in Bowland Pennine MRT for assistance with a major search being planned for Boxing Day 1988.

Alongside BPMRT we ended up being involved in a two day long search of the River Lune and the adjacent coastal marshes for a missing woman and her two children, all sadly located deceased.

Today Garry Rhodes our Team Leader, was contacted in the early afternoon by Andy Simpson, Team Leader of Rossendale and Pendle MRT to be given details of a search taking place in the Whitewell area of Lancashire for a missing man.

Andy Simpson had in turn been contacted by Phil O’Brien, Team Leader of Bowland Pennine MRT, whose team was involved in this search alongside Lancashire Constabulary resources, with the information that both the Rossendale and Pendle and Bolton MRTs may be called in to assist the BPMRT with the growing search operation, and that we may wish to go to ’stand by’.

Thankfully the missing man was located shortly afterwards, and the Rossendale and Pendle and Bolton MRT’s memberships continued with their Christmas Day festivities unaware that their respective Team Leaders had been pondering whether to send out a pager alert message, ’just in case’ (and a pat on the back to those Bowland Pennine MRT members who were out actually searching on Christmas Day).

This has not been recorded within our Incident listings, and is mentioned here for information only.