At 00:33 in the early hours of this cold and wet morning, our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE was contacted directly by Peter Goble, Team Leader Rossendale & Pendle MRT, requesting the team’s assistance with a developing urgent search for a missing 13 year old boy in the Blackburn area.

Initial plans were made to establish mapping for the search area and establish some drivers at this early hour of the morning.

At 00:46 the team was placed on standby, followed by a full team callout at 00:59, by which time some team assets were already mobilising. Our intention was to RV at our Ladybridge Hall Base/HQ to depart for Blackburn at 01:40 this morning.

At 01:10, Graham Dalley, Deputy Team Leader of RPMRT, who was coordinating their search response contacted our Team Leader directly to give an update on the developing search, in discussion it was requested of our Team Leader that he call out the Cheshire Search & Rescue Team for their assistance in this search.

With a number of Bolton MRT members already at our Ladybridge Hall Base/HQ, and others responding direct to the RVP at Blackburn Police Station. At 01:28, Graham Dalley contacted our Team Leader with the good news that the boy had been located safe. A full team pager stand-down was sent at 01:30.

At the time of writing this report, at least 18 Bolton MRT members were responding to or had arrived at our Ladybridge Hall Base/HQ. We understand the following resources were deployed (or deploying) to this search operation:

• Rossendale & Pendle MRT
• Bowland Pennine MRT
• Bolton MRT
• Cheshire Search & Rescue Team
• SARDA England
• Lancashire Constabulary (numerous assets)