Today with the wintry conditions persisting, all four of our Team Land Rovers were out and about in the team area, with a total of ten team members aboard.

At 14.38hrs we were contacted both via the SARCALL platform system and pager by Lancashire Constabulary, for assistance at an incident involving a fatal collapse in the Darwen area.

Photo courtesy of Carl Silver ©Our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE answered the call, and in liaison with Lancashire Constabulary, established that a famer had suffered a fatal collapse at his home address, and the Police required the teams assistance to transport his body from his farm due to snow and ice causing access difficulties for the responding Police vehicles and the on route Undertakers Ambulance.

A limited team response was made by the members already in the teams area aboard all four Team Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances.

At 15.18hrs our first team vehicle, BM3, arrived at the Whitehall Road, Darwen, RVP where we met with one of three responding Police Officers.

At this stage the NWAS (Lancashire) Emergency Ambulance which had responded, had departed.

The remaining three team vehicles quickly arrived, and our Team Leader walked up the snowbound farm access track to further liaise with the two Police Officers at the farm.

Also on scene was the farmers wife, and members of his family, including his son.

Photo courtesy Carl Silver ©With the arrival of the Undertakers Ambulance at the Whitehall road RVP, our BM4 vehicle went upto the farm whilst our BM3 vehicle transported the two undertakers to the farm.

In a joint operation with Police Officers, the undertakers and team members, the 69 years old farmers body was respectfully taken from the farm, and placed on one of our mountain rescue stretchers, which was then transported back to the RVP in our BM4 vehicle.

As this incident was concluding at 16.30hrs, we then received another Call Out (Incident 47) and we departed for an emergency response drive to the Rivington area.

The team wishes to extend its sincere condolences to the family of the farmer who fatally collapsed.

The team members involved would also like to express their thanks to the farmers son, who under such tragic circumstances, still kindly relayed Police Officers and our Team Leader back from the farm in his vehicle, and to the understanding of the farmers close immediate family who were present on scene, regards our intrusion into their home at such a tragic time.