This evenings weekly exercise saw team members gathering at the moorland location of Crookfield Road Car Park, between the villages of Belmont and Abbey Village, at 20.00hrs for a mountain rescue stretcher use familiarity session.

With almost clear skies, and an almost full moon, there was a ‘nippy’ breeze which along with the onset of darkness around 20.20hrs, means this glorious ! summer is now coming to an end.

Group 1 practised with one of our three SAR Alpine Lite Mountain Rescue Stretchers, making much use of the underslung / fitted travel wheel, on the stone surfaced moorland tracks heading up to Turn Lowe.

Group 2 practised with one of our two Bell Mountain Rescue Stretchers, again high up on Turn Lowe, with rope and side strap assisted sledging exercises, under the watchful eyes and tuition of experienced team members Mike Marsh and Steve Fletcher, ending with a final carry back to the car park RVP.

Twenty three team members took part in tonight’s exercise, with the theme suggested by our Training Officer Alistair Greenough.

At the exercise conclusion, some team members retired for a post exercise drink at the newly refurbished Belmont Bull, where our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE introduced himself and his colleagues to the new publicans who took over as licensees in June this year, and who have kindly continued to host a collection box, as the previous licensee did so for a great many years previously.