This afternoon 7 Team members were ’filmed’ for the local ITV news, Granada Reports. The reason for this was due to the amount of work for the North West Ambulance Service, the regions Mountain Rescue Teams had done in the recent wintry weather conditions.

Oldham, Rossendale & Pendle, Glossop and ourselves were all involved in quite a few man hours helping NWAS (Manchester) during the recent wintry weather. The best story out of this assistance was the birth of a baby in the back of Glossop’s Land Rover ambulance.

Bowland Pennine, Rossendale & Pendle and ourselves, to a smaller extent, also assisted NWAS (Lancashire). Let’s not forget as well the assistance given by the Lake District MRTs to NWAS (Cumbria).

All teams were activated over the Christmas break and some, including ourselves, on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day & Boxing Day.

The Bolton MRT also featured in the Manchester Evening News with a story about how we rescued a woman with an arm injury in her street. The casualty’s son took photographs which also appeared in the report, which showed her being placed inside a heavy weight casualty bag – a warm, fleecy sleeping bag – and placed onto the Bell MR stretcher and then being sledged across the icy street to the waiting ambulance.

We’re pleased to report the lady’s injury was treated successfully at hospital and she was allowed home soon after.

It was quite an eventful Christmas for the Greater Manchester based MRTs and we can inform the public who may have seen us dressed in full winter kit including crampons, you hadn’t seen anything alien after your Christmas drinks.