At 17.04hrs this warm sunny evening, our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE was contacted directly by NWAS Manchester Emergency Control Centre, requesting the team to attend an incident with the report of an injured climber who had fallen, with another person stuck on the same rock face, all in the vicinity of Leyland Mill Brow, Haigh Plantations, Wigan. (A location we were later to find out is locally called ‘Devils Canyon.’)

Whilst establishing more details and an emergency vehicles RVP our Team Leader was also informed an Emergency Ambulance was on scene, with the NWAA Helimed en route alongside the NWAS Manchester HART Team.

A fully detailed team pager call out message was sent at 17.17hrs, with our first team vehicle going mobile from our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ at 17.20hrs.

Nick Berry was our first team member on scene at circa 17.30hrs establishing that the fallen male climber, aged 27, had already been evacuated by NWAS, so he assisted two NWAS HART members who had lowered a harness and rope to the ‘cragfast’ 20 year old companion of the fallen man, and with the use of mechanical aids, the male was raised safely to the top of the rock face.

By this time at circa 17.35hrs our 2nd responding team member Alistair Greenough, had also arrived on scene with two Team Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances also mobile at this time, one of which including our Team Leader were minutes away from the RVP, when news came via Alistair to stand down the team at 17.38hrs, as the incident had now been safely concluded, with a ‘Stand Down’ pager message being sent at 17.41hrs.

At this stage, GMFRS assets who had also been called by NWAS were on scene but stood down, as had been GMP and Helimed which had departed earlier at 17.29hrs.

The following resources were known to have been involved in this incident, please note this listing may be incomplete;

• Bolton Mountain Rescue Team; Three Team Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance Vehicles responded, two team members arrived on scene in time to play a part in the later stages of the rescue of the ‘cragfast’ person, with a further twenty two team members stood down responding. (Some were within minutes of the RVP given)
• North West Ambulance Service (Manchester); Emergency Control Room, One Emergency Ambulance.
• North West Ambulance Service (Manchester) HART Team; Three Emergency Ambulances and personnel.
• Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service; Three Pump Appliances from Wigan, Hindley and Leigh GMFRS Fire Stations.
• Greater Manchester Police.
• North West Air Ambulance Service, Helimed 08, Blackpool Airport.