Our potential new team members from our recent 2014 recruitment intake, actually commenced their ‘Probationary Training period’ this evening.

This consists of a minimum of eight weekly training sessions prior to our main Wednesday evening exercise starting, which will see our potential new members receive an overview of team procedures and equipment over the next few months and in to January 2015.

Six of our seven new recruits attended this evening, which commenced at 18.45hrs at our Ladybridge hall Base / HQ with an overview of the contents of our Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance vehicles, carried out by our Equipment Officer – Medical Nigel Booth.

At 19.30hrs with Nigel and now joined by our Training Officer Alistair Greenough, they all departed in our Ford Transit Minibus / Crewbus Ambulance, radio call sign ‘Bolton Mobile 5,’ for an exercise on Winter Hill, testing their navigation skills, followed by some work with our Bell Mountain Rescue stretcher, involving carrying and rope haul / sledging the stretcher.

From their attendance over this probationary training period the team will go on to select those we wish to invite to join the team as ‘Trainee team members’ for a twelve month long training period prior to acceptance as a fully operational call out list member.