Upon returning to our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ at the conclusion of the previous incident, and having checked over our vehicles and just leaving, our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE at 17.00hrs received a mobilephone call from GMP Sgt Steve Baldam (Who he had been in a meeting with when he received the last call out) requesting the teams assistance with a quickly developing search for a 81 year old missing man in circumstances giving cause for concern for his welfare.

The RVP was Wilton quarries the scene of the previous incident! where GMP had located the missing persons vehicle.

The 81 year old man from the Sharples area of Bolton, had been reported missing to GMP late this afternoon, with the team being called out very quickly following the discovery of the missing mans car.

A full team initial standby pager message at 17.07hrs was followed very quickly by a full team call out pager message at 17.16hrs.

Our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE and Deputy Team Leader Geoff Seddon went immediately to the Wilton Arms Public House RVP meeting up with Police Officers at 17.25 / 30hrs.

Whilst team members were assembling at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ, Police Officers on scene were deployed to search local paths, and very quickly at circa 17.55hrs they located the missing man, safe and well near to Horrocks Fold Farm. (A short distance from the missing mans vehicle lcation)

The team was stood down at 17.57hrs, with three members by this time on scene, a further five en route to the RVP and many more at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ and GMFRS Bolton Fire Station garage or responding from work and home locations.

The following resources were involved in this search operation;

• Greater Manchester Police; Force Control Room, Divisional Officers, One General Purpose Police Dog Team, and a GMP Missing Person Search Manager (Stood down responding)
• Lancashire Constabulary Air Support Unit helicopter (Now part of the North West Air Operations Group (Police)) Stood down responding.
• SARDA (Wales) Mountain Rescue Trail Dog Team, handler Iain Nicholson, Trail Dog Mij, from Bowland Pennine MRT (Stood down responding)
• SARDA (England) Mountain Rescue Air Scenting Dog team, handler Alison Nicholson, Search Dog Floss, from Bowland Pennine MRT (Stood down responding)
• Bolton Mountain Rescue Team; Mobilising to this incident were all five team vehicles, our Control Trailer, Catering Trailer and SAR Boat (To search the margins of a nearby water body) and twenty four operational team members and two members of our Support Group (to crew our Catering Trailer)