The 35th Cheviots Challenge is fast approaching and will take place next weekend – Saturday 3 September. This fantastic event will get you high in the hills of the Northumberland National Park with the Team close by in strategic locations along the route to keep you safe.
Terry Lynn long route is about 23 miles and over 3500 feet of climbing and will include Clennell Street, Windy Gyle, Swinside Law, Battleshiel Haugh.
Eileen Lynn short route is about 18 miles and over 2500 feet of climbing and will include Clennell Street, Barrow Law, Battleshiel Haugh.
Both routes will take you through and over the beautiful Upper Coquetdale and Cheviot Hills. On the day of the event you will receive a route card and a photocopy map giving details of the route.
Joint training in the Breamish valley with North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team. A round robin of ‘rescue’ scenarios in the morning followed by a terrible accident in the afternoon. A great day.
Over the last 6 weeks, we’ve responded alongside and worked closely with the Great North Air Ambulance Service on 4 incidents within the Northumberland National Park.
Yesterday the majority of the team were getting acquainted with the new Coastguard S-92 helicopters. A couple more team members will be doing similar again tomorrow.
With only a few months to go in our 50th year we are well on our way to reaching our £50k fundraising target. To date you have helped raised just over £41k. These funds are being put to use… they are helping us to convert a trailer into a mobile control unit and store for our water kit, and to replace the laptops used by our controllers.
We are now seeking to raise funds to equip each of our 40 Team members with a high visibility rucksack cover. These are essential when working in more urban environments and at night to ensure our members are easily seen.
This event is designed as a personal challenge that is accessible to all. We’ll be in strategic places along the routes, to provide encouragement and light refreshments, and so that if it becomes ‘too much of a challenge’, a Land Rover back to the village is possible. It’s a great opportunity to get high into the hills of the Northumberland National Park, have a great time with friends, and possibly make some new friends along the way.
There is a choice of two routes:
– Terry Lynn long route is about 23 miles and over 4000 feet of climbing
– Eileen Lynn short route is about 18 miles and over 3000 feet of climbing
Even when we are quiet as a team the work goes on. The vehicles and their equipment need regular checks, maintenance and repairs. Today we had a winch failure to sort. A full strip and rebuild got things going again. Volunteers working behind the scenes to ensure the team keeps rolling, and are ready when needed!
A gruelling week of training and assessment has paid off for one of our Team members. And that’s not to mention all of the hours of training he put in beforehand too.
Many congratulations to Allan White who has re-qualified as a MREW Advanced Casualty Carer. The qualification enables Allan to provide a high level of pre-hospital emergency medical care in often remote locations and in adverse conditions. Well done!
Those wanting to apply should be: – Physically fit – Confident in their own ability to navigate safely through mountainous environments whilst the weather is unfavourable. – Prior winter walking or mountaineering experience would be advantageous although not essential. – For practical reasons (cost and time spent training) the Team are looking for individuals that are settled in the region and can demonstrate a long term commitment to Mountain Rescue. – For insurance reasons, those applying should be aged between 18 and 70.
The Team is particularly interested in receiving applications from those living or working in the following areas: – Wooler – Alnwick – Rothbury – Along the Tyne Valley west of Newcastle – Bellingham
To apply, please email the Team’s Secretary via info@nnpmrt.org for an application form, which should be completed and returned no later than the end of February 2016. Interviews and an initial hill skills assessment will take place in April.
Successful applicants will receive a year of training in search skills, radio communications, pre-hospital medical care, technical rescue skills, working with helicopters and winter skills before graduating to the call out list. Once on the call out list, the Team’s highly trained volunteers respond to emergencies at the request of the emergency services when the specialist skills of Mountain Rescue are required.
Calls for assistance include not only searches for, and rescues of, walkers, fell/trail runners, mountain bikers and other outdoor enthusiasts in the uplands of Northumberland but also the search and rescue of missing children and vulnerable adults in rural and urban settings. Responding to such emergencies and helping those in need is extremely rewarding. During 2015 the Team responded to 56 incidents, its busiest year on record. The incidents included 23 searches for lost or overdue walkers and vulnerable or despondent individuals, 20 rescues for climbers, fell/trail runners and horse riders, and 2 resilience incidents where NNPMRT responded to assist those affected by the recent flooding across Northumberland.
NNPMRT provides a search and rescue service for the whole of the Northumbria Police area, which covers 2,159 square miles. The largest area covered by any Mountain Rescue team in England. The area extends from Sunderland in the South East, to Alston in the South West, and to the Scottish Border in the North. The Team relies on the diversity of both its volunteers’ locations and working patterns to provide a reliable service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
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