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Today our friends and colleagues at Cheshire Search and Rescue Team and Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue Team have joined a major mobilisation of ALSAR (Association of Lowland Search and Rescue) assets to assist with the severe flooding situation in the south of the country.

A small number of appropriately trained and equipped members from each team have joined in this ALSAR mobilisation operation, joining other hard worked Emergency Services, Local Authority, Environment Agency, RSPCA, Military, Contractors and Voluntary Agency organisations already present in this large scale flood relief effort.

We wish all involved a safe time and we applaud their commitment to helping the national community and those at risk in this terrible and wide scale seemingly never ending environmental disaster.

This morning our Mountain Rescue Trailing Dog Handler Steve Nelson (A member of SARDA Wales) his Trailing Dog Boris, and Bolton MRT Team member Elaine Gilliland, who regularly acts operationally as Steve’s navigator on search operations, and assists with SARDA Wales training, all travelled to North Wales, for this weekends SARDA Wales routine monthly weekend training exercise in the mountains of Snowdonia.

Today Our Team President Bob Hutchinson, (A former Team Leader and Deputy Team Leader) and Team Call Out list member Matthew Hailwood, journeyed to RL Hughes Primary School, Mayfield Street, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan.

There follows an account of the visit by Bob Hutchinson;

Today our Team President, Bob Hutchinson along with team member Matthew Hailwood visited the R L Hughes Primary school to give a talk on the work of the Team in the local area.

Classes 5L and 5R were both involved in the visit and it was decided that the easiest format would be to take one class outdoors to look at the Team’s Land Rover Defender Mountain Rescue Ambulance vehicle and its equipment whilst the other class stayed indoors to watch a DVD and have a question and answer session. They would then swap round at the half-way point.

Bob took 5R first for the indoor session whilst Matt took 5L outside to the school yard where he demonstrated the vehicle and some of the Teams comprehensive rescue equipment.

Bob meanwhile showed 5R a short DVD (made by long serving team member Diane Blakeley) and then had a very intense question and answer session with the pupils, all of whom showed a great deal of interest.

In fact the questions had to be curtailed due to overrunning the time schedule!! At this point the two classes switched round and the process was repeated with equal enthusiasm from all concerned.

Bolton Mountain Rescue Team would like to thank R L Hughes School for giving them the opportunity to show the work of the Team and in particular would like to thank staff members Mr John Cotter and Mrs Mayer (5R) and Mrs Pidgeon-Duncalf and Miss Fletcher (5L) for including the Team in their programme and their very kind hospitality during the visit.