Late this cold afternoon as dusk was approaching, NWAS (Greater Manchester) Parkway EOC received a 999 call, regarding an injured 17 year old in Leverhulme Park, Bolton.

With the quick arrival of the first NWAS responding vehicle, it quickly became apparent that mountain rescue would be required to stretcher evacuate the injured youth from the incident location, within woodland at the bottom of a steep muddy track.

At 16.46hrs, we were paged to assist NWAS, as co-incidentally three team members Deputy Team Leader Chris Greenhalgh, Training Officer Alistair Greenough and Equipment Officer – Medical Nigel Booth, were just departing our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ at the same time as the pager call.

They were in a position to make an immediate response, with two other Team Land Rovers, also crewed very quickly, and all three mobilising by 17.05hrs.

Despite some initial difficulties establishing the exact RVP, all three Land Rovers were on scene at the Leverhulme Park Sports Hall complex car park by 17.20hrs.

Joining NWAS personnel on scene at the incident site, and alongside responding Police Officers, by 17.30hrs the injured youth had been placed on a specialist scoop stretcher, which was then placed on to one of our mountain rescue stretchers, for the short evacuation back to the NWAS Emergency Ambulance.

At 17.38hrs a team stand down pager call was made, with the Ambulance departing for Royal Bolton Hospital, with the injured youth on  board at 17.52hrs.

The following resources were involved in this incident response;

• NWAS (Greater Manchester); EOC Parkway, one Emergency Ambulance, two crew, and one Rapid Response Vehicle, solo crew.
• Greater Manchester Police; 4x Police Officers, 1x PCSO, in three Divisional Police vehicles.
• Bolton Mountain Rescue Team; Three Land Rover Defender Mountain Rescue Ambulances, 14x Team Call Out members involved in the rescue, with a further nine stood down responding.

We would like to pass on our reciprocal thanks to the great many interested children and adults who witnessed this incident unfolding and its aftermath as we were packing away our kit used, and who passed on kind comments of support in regards to the work we do in the local community, many noting that we are “volunteers who do a great job.”