A comedy gig in a Peak District cave had to be abandoned on Thursday night after a concert-goer got trapped in a tree on his way to the venue prompting a rescue operation.
The man had been walking to the John Shuttleworth performance at Peak Cavern – also known as “Devil’s Arse” – in Castleton when he slipped and fell from a footpath above into the cave.
He managed to catch hold of a tree to break his fall on the way down, narrowly avoiding a 100ft drop to the cavern floor.
In a Facebook post, Edale Mountain Rescue Team said the concert had to be cancelled and the area evacuated due to the danger of rocks being dislodged on to the concert-goers below.
The man then had to be hoisted into a rescue harness and hauled back up to the crag top, where he was handed over to a paramedic for assessment.
The rescue team said in its post: “(The man) came into extreme difficulties and slipped, just managing to catch a tree to arrest his fall, inches from a 100ft drop to the cavern floor.
“Team members made their way to the top and quickly rigged up a technical rope rescue system. Once this was all in place, a team member was lowered down to the gentleman’s position, where he was secured into a rescue nappy,” it added.
“The team hauled both the rescuer and the gentleman back up to the crag top, where he was handed over to an HART paramedic for further assessment.
“The gentleman did not need further hospital treatment and was given a lift back to his accommodation by a team member.”
The man who was clinging to the cliff - an incident which ended tonight’s show prematurely - is safe and now in an ambulance
The operation lasted from around 9pm until 11.17pm and the man was found to have suffered only minor injuries, including a cut and some bruising near one eye.
Shuttleworth – real name Graham Fellows – later tweeted he was “delighted” that the gig-goer was “safe and well” and joked he would have to write a song about the incident to perform at a rescheduled concert.
“The man who was clinging to the cliff – an incident which ended tonight’s show prematurely – is safe and now in an ambulance (so I have been told) We wish him well, and to my lovely Peak Cavern audience – thank you for evacuating so swiftly, and see you soon for the 2nd half!” he said.
