The team has been invited to provide three Mountain Rescue awareness sessions to new aircrew staff members at the North West Air Ambulance at City Airport, Manchester (Barton) where its aircraft ’Helimed 72’ is based. (NWAA also operate an aircraft from Blackpool Squires Gate Airport, ’Helimed 08,’ duty crews being ’shared’ between both locations)

This morning the first of the three sessions took place, with our Team President and former Bolton MRT Team Leader Bob Hutchinson (31 years Mountain Rescue experience) and our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE (30 years Mountain rescue experience) giving new aircrew members Paramedics David Fletcher and Wayne Pemberton, an oversight into Mountain Rescue operations, both regionally and within Greater Manchester and Lancashire.

Bob and Garry then demonstrated to Paramedic aircrew members David and Wayne, the very wide range of search and rescue equipment we carry on board our ’BM3’ Land Rover Defender Mountain Rescue Ambulance, which with permission from the Airport was parked ’Airside’ on the apron hardstanding.

By early afternoon the awareness session was completed, with both David and Wayne thanking Bob and Garry for their presentation. (Again just like yesterdays main team activity, rain dominated the day!)

The next sessions are scheduled to take place on Thursday 25th August and Friday 2nd September 2011, fronted by Team President Bob Hutchinson and Team Training Officer Elaine Gilliland respectively.

These sessions are welcome opportunities to further develop the already excellent working relationship we in Bolton MRT have with the North West Air Ambulance and its aircrew members, and meet with new aircrew members.

(Last but not least thanks to NWAA Pilot, Captain Marc Rowley for the refreshments and his as usual warm welcome)