Following on from our website ‘News’ report dated Wednesday 29th May 2013, when we reported on the decommissioning of our Control Trailer, as a result of our bringing in to team service our newly purchased Incident Control Vehicle, this morning four members of Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue Team journeyed north to collect this same trailer following our pre arranged offer to donate it to them, completely free of charge.

Arriving late morning at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ, after setting off from Norfolk at circa 07.00hrs this morning, were the following members of Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue Team;
Team Chairman / Team Leader Paul Chamberlain, Search Technician and Driver Dan Harris, Swiftwater Rescue and Search Team Leader Paul Silverman, and Bike Team Leader / General Team Leader, BTAC First Aider Guy Farnbank.

They were met by our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE, Treasurer Martin Banks, Equipment Officer (IT and Communications) Steve Fletcher, and team members Mike Marsh and Paul Brain. (All present at our Base / HQ commissioning our new Incident Control Vehicle ready for team service, whilst their colleague team members were busy providing standby rescue cover for the Darwen Rotary Club – Darwen Tower Trudge)

Due to time limitations, regards their equally long journey back home, this time with their ‘new’ trailer, sadly the four could only stay a short time as our guests, but we squeezed in a tour of our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ, and our BM3 Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance, plus of course a good look at our brand new Incident Control Vehicle.

With photographs taken, it was time to bid our former Control Trailer goodbye, for a new life with Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue Team.

Besides the donation of this trailer, we also donated at the same time to Norfolk LSART, some emergency (blue) light bars, a quantity of scene lighting equipment, some first aid disposables, and a number of traffic cones.

Before leaving, Paul Chamberlain accepted an invitation from our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE for six members of Norfolk LSART to attend this years Joint Foundation Course in Mountain Rescue residential course weekend, on Friday evening 11th October to Sunday afternoon 13th October 2013.

Our former Control Trailer parked up taking in the view of the somewhat flatter scenery of Norfolk nearly at its journeys end in its new home (Photograph kindly supplied by Norfolk LSART)

As thanks for the donation today of our former Control Trailer and other sundry items we have donated to Norfolk LSART this year and last year, Paul Chamberlain has very kindly offered to lend his considerable expertise in water search and rescue to assist with our training in the same subject.