It has been a busy weekend for Northumberland's mountain rescue teams after they were called out to three separate incidents over the weekend, one of which required the assistance of the Great North Air Ambulance.
On Saturday afternoon, a climber fell from Dove Crag near Simonside and landed awkwardly, sustaining a lower leg injury. Twenty one volunteers from both Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue and North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team attended before she was airlifted to the RVI.
The casualty was treated and stabilised before team paramedics and a doctor arrived on scene. She was then stretchered to the top of the crag awaiting the arrival of the Great North Air Ambulance, which touched down just under three hours after the mountain rescue teams were called out.
Read more: Firefighters work over the weekend to tackle Northumberland wildfire
Iain Nixon, Team Leader of Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team, said: "We got a message from her (the climber) on Sunday to say that she's in a stable position and obviously it will take a while to recover from the fall in the injury. But she seemed in good spirits - as best you can after that type of accident."
Though the incident was a serious one, Saturday's good weather meant that it was not as bad as it could have been. The exposed location on the hills meant that had it been colder or windier, the mountain rescue teams would have had to keep the casualty warm and sheltered from the elements, but the rescue wasn't without its challenges.
Iain continued: "The crag itself - you've got boulders, heather rough terrain. The slope is not too steep that we required ropes or anything, but we did have a steep slope above the crags.
"It was a reasonably awkward position to be providing care because we were below the crag, and we've got to safeguard our team members whilst providing a high level of pre-hospital medical care."
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A spokesperson from the Great North Air Ambulance said: "Our teams were activated at 5.19pm to reports of a fall at Rothbury. They arrived on scene at 5.48pm and worked alongside North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team and Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team.
"The paramedic assessed and treated the patient and the patient was airlifted to the RVI in Newcastle."
The injured climber was one of three incidents that Northumberland's Mountain Rescue teams were called out to over the weekend, with them also tackling a wildfire at Fourlaws Wood near Sweethope Loughs on Friday night and returning again on Sunday when the fires flared up again. The Mountain Rescue teams assisted Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service, which sent six appliances to tackle the flames.
The cause of the wildfire at Sweet Loughs is not yet known. The public are being asked to steer clear of the area.
