At the rescue team’s Annual General Meeting last Thursday night a special presentation was made to the longest serving member of the team.  John Mayer joined the rescue team in 1965 and has now clocked up Fifty Years of unbroken membership as a Full Operational Member.  Whilst no longer climbing the hills on call-outs, John continues in an active role as Senior Team Call-out Officer.

Nearly all the current team attended the meeting as Mike France, Chairman of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, and Ken Blakeman, Chairman of The Peak …

The rescue team was sadden to learn of the death of one of Leek’s best known characters at the age of just 58.

Chris Brown, pictured, who ran a mobile burger van in Derby Street for many years was a keen supporter of the rescue team and raised a substantial sums for the charity with a collection box on his burger van.  When the team held its annual street collection in Leek, Chris was always encouraging and provided refreshments for team members.

He passed away last week after a short …

Team member, Darren Hunt, has just ten weeks to get fit following notice that he has been chosen to represent Mountain Rescue England & Wales in the 2015 London Marathon on Sunday 26th April.

Darren has only been a team member since 2013 but he’s no stranger to long distance running having completed three previous marathons and fifteen half marathons.  That’s not to mention his longest event which covered 75 miles in 36 hours.   The psychology of the  event should be no trouble either as …

Not content with beautiful snow conditions in the Peak, a large contingent of team members headed North last weekend on the team’s annual winter skills training event.

They based themselves in Crianlarich, Scotland for two days on the slopes of Meall nan Tarmachan and Beinn Challuim.  Lady luck shone on the team as did the sun, with two days of glorious weather.  Day one saw wall to wall sunshine and no wind – not a typical Scottish winter mountaineering day at all – as the group ascended a …

2014 was a very special time for Buxton Mountain Rescue Team as it celebrated its Golden Anniversary year. Throughout last year and into 2015 one team member has been keeping a detailed record of events in High Definition with a view to releasing a “year in the life of a rescue team” film later in the year.  All aspects of daily team life are being recorded from interesting call-outs, through training exercises to the routine of fundraising, equipment care and team administration.

A call-out on Saturday 31st January (incident …

Buxton Mountain Rescue Team doctors, Vicki Taylor and Matt Stagg, were on home turf in a Macclesfield hostelry last Wednesday night when they were invited to talk to the East Cheshire Outdoor Group (http://www.ecog.org.uk) about Mountain Rescue and hypothermia.
 
Prompted by the group’s recent experience in The Lake District they thought it would be …

Joining Buxton Mountain Rescue Team as an Operational Member is a serious undertaking and not to be considered lightly.  There will be great demands on your time which can cause pressures at work and home.  It will take between three and six months to learn the basic of mountain rescue which will qualify you to get on the call-out list as a probationary member.  It can then take another twelve months training to qualify as a Full Operational Member at which time the coveted red jacket will be issued.

Whilst the …

The 1st April 2015 sees a major change in the helicopter search and rescue service covering the Peak District.  The traditional service provided by the R.A.F. and the Royal Navy will soon be phased out as Bristows takes on the new contract and the Peak District is one of the first regions to be served by the new aircraft.

Bristow Group Inc. is based in Houston, Texas, but has a proud heritage which includes providing search and rescue services in the UK since 1971 with …

With five inches of snow falling in Buxton through Tuesday night, chilling thoughts passed through our Training Officer’s mind.

The risk of an avalanche in the Peak District is relatively low compared with the mountainous regions of the Lake District and North Wales.   However, you might be surprised to learn that there have been three fatalities in the area within living memory and, in the winter of 2013 Winnats Pass was completely blocked by a snow avalanche.

So whilst the risk may be low there is still a real concern and …

With an upsurge of interest from the Cheshire village of Sutton, near Macclesfield, two team members were invited to a meeting of the village Women’s Institute.

Nearly forty ladies attended on a wet and windy evening for a talk and presentation on the work of Buxton Mountain Rescue Team.   Local team members, Kerry Clarke and Andy Hennell, spoke for an hour on what it takes to be a member of a rescue team and the skills and time commitment required.  The ladies asked lots of appropriate questions about how the team is organised and showed a genuine interest in all aspects of membership.

Sutton …