This evening, assembling at 20.00hrs, team members took part in a (very) steep ground stretcher handling exercise, on the steep shale slopes of Shore Gully below Noon Hill, overlooking the moorland road between Rivington and Belmont.

A clear and very starry night with temperatures around 6c means autumn is just around the corner!

Twenty team members deployed for the exercise, using our Bell Mark 3 mountain rescue stretcher, aided by drag lines, on a course which took in very steep bare shale slopes and grassy moorland hillsides.

A further four team members remained at the roadside vehicle RVP.

Team member Kris Kilshaw, who is currently recovering from an operation, was our exercise casualty for the evening, and may even have fallen asleep on the stretcher at one stage!

Concluding at 22.15hrs all team members then enjoyed a social drink at the Jolly Crofters Public house on Chorley Old Road, Horwich.

Next weeks training is an indoors session at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ covering the use of drugs within mountain rescue casualty care in England and Wales.