A volunteer-run mountain rescue charity. 76 incidents featured here.
A walker slipped from rocks at Blackstone Edge on the Pennine Way and sustained a painful ankle injury. Combined teams from Oldham Mountain Rescue and Calder Valley Search and Rescue carried the casualty by stretcher approximately one kilometre to a waiting Land Rover and transferred them to ambulance care.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher and transferred to ambulance care
A large wildfire at Dovestone Reservoir in the Peak District burned for several days, destroying miles of moorland. Oldham Mountain Rescue supported Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service by providing medical cover, transporting crews and equipment via 4x4 vehicles, and guiding fire crews to access points. A 20-year-old woman has been charged with aggravated arson in connection with the fire.
Outcome: fire contained and remains under investigation; suspect arrested and charged with aggravated arson
A man fell and became injured in a remote, inaccessible area near Black Clough in the Peak District on Saturday evening. Over 50 rescue personnel from four mountain rescue teams, an air ambulance and a Coastguard helicopter worked for around seven hours to locate and evacuate him by stretcher carry due to unsafe conditions for helicopter winching.
Outcome: casualty carried off hill and transferred to land ambulance
A walker suffered a suspected broken leg on the main path at Dovestone Reservoir on 19 June. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team reached the casualty by 4×4 Land Rover, provided first aid including pain relief and leg immobilisation, and assisted North West Ambulance Service in carrying the walker approximately 400 metres to the waiting ambulance. The operation took around one hour and 45 minutes.
Outcome: casualty immobilised and evacuated to ambulance
The team responded to multiple calls over the weekend, including assisting with an ankle injury at Dovestone and another walker who fell on Lark Hill near Dobcross. They also conducted a full-day training exercise before concluding by locating four missing walkers on the moor above Dovestone.
Outcome: All incidents concluded safely with no reported serious injuries or fatalities.
Mountain rescue teams were called out to a walker who had fallen in Birchen Clough near Dove Stones on Friday afternoon. Following initial checks by paramedics, the casualty was safely escorted down the challenging path for onward care.
Outcome: Rescued and transported for further care
A walker from a group of four slipped on a steep, scrambly section of the upper edge path at Ashway above Dovestones on Sunday morning and sustained a suspected upper-arm fracture. The casualty was assessed by Oldham Mountain Rescue Team and airlifted by North West Air Ambulance to hospital, with twelve volunteers involved in a three-hour 45-minute rescue operation.
Outcome: casualty airlifted to hospital by helicopter
A man required rescue after sustaining a suspected broken leg following a slip in wet woodland at Sholver. A team of mountain rescuers attended the scene and worked with paramedics to stabilise the injury before transferring the casualty to an ambulance.
Outcome: Transported for further care
A walker fell on a steep section of the upper edge path at Ashway near Dovestone Reservoir and sustained a suspected upper arm fracture. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team attended with a rapid response party, and the casualty was carried to a waiting helicopter and airlifted to hospital for treatment.
Outcome: casualty airlifted to hospital by helicopter
A walker suffered an ankle injury near Greenfield Reservoir at Dovestone on Monday morning. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team assisted North West Ambulance Service paramedics in treating the casualty and carrying them by stretcher from the dam wall to an ambulance for further care.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher to ambulance
Three walkers became lost in the dark in Birchen Clough near Dove Stone Reservoir and were unable to find the path. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team was called and located the walkers, escorting them back down to the vehicles. All three were assessed by a medical technician and the incident was resolved within two hours and fifteen minutes.
Outcome: walkers escorted down and assessed by medical technician
Mountain rescue teams were called out on Sunday after a walker fell at Dovestone Reservoir near Saddleworth Moor. Specialist teams located the individual, who sustained multiple injuries including a suspected broken arm, before they were transported to hospital.
Outcome: Transported to hospital
A man missing on Saddleworth Moor was located by an off-duty police officer and his search dog, guided by thermal camera footage from a police aircraft. The casualty was suffering from hypothermia and exhaustion and received immediate medical treatment at the scene before being airlifted to hospital. He was subsequently discharged.
Outcome: casualty airlifted to hospital with hypothermia and exhaustion, later discharged
A person reported missing near Dovestone on 28 February was located on moorland approximately two miles east of Greenfield reservoir suffering from hypothermia and exhaustion. The Oldham Mountain Rescue Team, assisted by search dog Ace, located the casualty and provided emergency care before evacuation by HM Coastguard helicopter to a road ambulance.
Outcome: casualty located suffering from hypothermia and exhaustion, evacuated by helicopter to road ambulance
Outcome: The body was recovered by the team.
Outcome: The two walkers were found uninjured but hypothermic and required assistance before being assessed as fit to walk down the hill.
Mountain Rescue Teams responded to an emergency incident at Dovestones during winter weather conditions around Christmas time. The post does not provide specific details about the nature of the incident or outcome.
Two walkers at Dovestones near Saddleworth Moor required rescue on the evening of 21 December after one sustained a knee injury and became unable to continue. Both were found in cold, wet conditions near Birchen Clough and were rescued using ropes and a stretcher in a four-hour operation. The injured walker was transported by ambulance for further assessment.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher and ambulance, uninjured walker led to safety
A mountain rescue team was called out after a family of eight became stranded on an unstable path near Dovestones reservoir in Saddleworth. The rescuers assisted the group down the path and helped them safely cross a river by forming a human chain.
Outcome: All members of the family were safely rescued.
A mountain biker sustained multiple injuries after falling on a steep section of trail on Alphin Pike near Dovestones on Sunday afternoon. Oldham Mountain Rescue, an air ambulance and paramedics attended the scene, providing medical care and evacuating the casualty to hospital by air ambulance in a three-hour operation.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by air ambulance to hospital
A walker who fell on Alphin Pike near Dovestone Reservoir and sustained a head injury was rescued by Oldham Mountain Rescue after 3.5 hours. Eighteen team members deployed from Bradbury Farm, with medics assessing the casualty before evacuating them by stretcher down steep terrain using safety ropes. The casualty was transferred to an ambulance for further treatment.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher and transferred to ambulance for further treatment
Oldham Mountain Rescue Team assisted North West Ambulance Service in rescuing an elderly woman who had collapsed near the trig point at Tandle Hill country park on Sunday lunchtime. The team placed her on a stretcher and transported her to the waiting ambulance. Thirteen team members were involved in the operation, which lasted two hours.
Outcome: casualty transferred to ambulance
A man slipped and fractured his lower leg near Cowbury Reservoir in Carrbrook on the evening of 30 June. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team assisted North West Ambulance Service paramedics by applying a vacuum splint and evacuating the casualty by stretcher to an awaiting ambulance.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher to ambulance
Oldham Mountain Rescue Team responded to three incidents over the weekend. On Saturday, a teenage boy was evacuated by helicopter after falling from his mountain bike at Ogden Reservoir with injuries to his hip, ribs and arm. On Sunday, the team assisted a female walker with a locked knee at Ashway Gap and simultaneously responded to a walker with an ankle injury in Birchen Clough, with support from Holme Valley Mountain Rescue.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by helicopter and ambulance, casualty evacuated by stretcher and ambulance, casualty evacuated by stretcher and ambulance
A man injured his ankle while trekking in Alkrington Woods, Middleton, and was located by Oldham Mountain Rescue Team using Phone Find technology. He was assessed by paramedics and air ambulance medics, then carried by stretcher to an ambulance for transfer to hospital. The search involved fifteen team members and lasted 2.5 hours.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher to hospital
A man suffered a leg injury after falling in Birchen Clough at Dovestones on 13 January 2025. He was located above a waterfall and winched to safety by Maritime and Coastguard Agency helicopter with assistance from Oldham and Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Teams. He was transferred to ambulance care at a landing area.
Outcome: casualty winched out by helicopter and transferred to ambulance
A male with a knee injury was rescued from the snow-covered track near Chew Reservoir in the Dovestones area on 12 January. Thirteen Oldham Mountain Rescue Team members located the casualty and, taking advantage of snowy conditions, sledged the stretcher down to their vehicles before handing the patient over to ambulance services.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher and handed to ambulance services for hospital transfer
The team responded to multiple callouts over Christmas and Boxing Day. On Boxing Day, they assisted an ambulance crew with a casualty in the Slaithwaite area of Huddersfield. Earlier that day, they were involved in evacuating a walker with a broken ankle from high ground in the Dovestones area.
Outcome: Casualty evacuated
A walker became lost after straying from the main path in the Saddleworth area late on Tuesday afternoon. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team and Greater Manchester Police located the individual using phone signals and local knowledge, and after a brief medical assessment, the walker was safely escorted back down the trail in good condition.
Outcome: walker located and safely escorted off fell uninjured
Rescue teams responded to assist an injured man. The incident involved coordination between multiple rescue organisations.
Oldham Mountain Rescue team assisted North West Ambulance Service in extricating a patient from a field near Middleton on Thursday afternoon. The patient was loaded onto a stretcher and carried to an ambulance with support from paramedics and the North West Air Ambulance. Ten team members were involved for three hours.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by ambulance
A man in his 80s suffered a serious fall from height at Moorgate Quarry in Uppermill on 13 August 2024. Emergency services including mountain rescue, an air ambulance, police and paramedics attended the scene. The casualty was transported to hospital by road ambulance.
Outcome: casualty evacuated to hospital by road ambulance
A walker sustained a badly injured leg and required rescue team assistance. The incident was covered by local press reporting on the rescue response.
Outcome: casualty assisted by rescue team
A mountain rescue team responded to assist an injured cyclist. The incident involved a biker requiring emergency assistance in the area.
A motorcyclist came off their bike on the A58 near Littleborough and fell down an embankment. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team and Rossendale and Pendle Mountain Rescue Team assisted North West Ambulance Service in securing the casualty to a stretcher and carrying them up the steep slope to the ambulance.
Outcome: casualty secured to stretcher and carried to ambulance
A person fell from Dean Rocks above Dovestone Reservoir on Sunday afternoon and was rescued by air ambulance with assistance from Oldham Mountain Rescue Team and neighbouring teams. The casualty was immobilised and winched by Coastguard helicopter to hospital. The team also responded to a separate medical incident above Greenfield Reservoir the same day.
Outcome: casualty winched by Coastguard helicopter and flown to hospital
A casualty fell 30 feet from Indians Head in Greenfield and was assisted by Oldham Mountain Rescue Team. A nearby drone delayed the departure of the air ambulance, prompting the team to issue a public warning about the risks of flying drones near emergency helicopters.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by air ambulance
A walker injured their ankle while walking the Dove Stone circular route near Greenfield on 8 March 2024. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team located the casualty at Birchen Clough, provided initial assessment, and carried them by stretcher to a waiting land ambulance for transfer to hospital.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher to hospital
Two walkers with a dog became lost in snowy conditions at Dovestones in Oldham on Saturday 2 December. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team traced their phone signal and located them above a waterfall in Birchen Clough using their head torches. The walkers were assessed and walked off the hill safely in a two-hour operation involving 14 team members.
Outcome: walkers and dog walked off the hill safely
A young woman suffering a medical condition was rescued from Newhey Quarry by Oldham Mountain Rescue Team on Sunday evening. Paramedics were already present, but the terrain required assistance from the rescue team's 4x4 vehicle to evacuate the casualty safely. The evacuation involved 15 volunteers and took approximately one hour and 30 minutes.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by 4x4 vehicle to waiting ambulance
A 17-year-old girl fainted while completing a Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition at Laddow Rocks near Crowden on 13 September 2023. She was assisted by Glossop Mountain Rescue Team and evacuated by stretcher by Oldham Mountain Rescue Team to Dovestones sailing club, where she was assessed by a team doctor.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher and assessed by team doctor
A group of walkers became lost in the Dove Stone Reservoir area near the Trinnacle, a precarious rock formation popular on social media. Some were rescued by helicopter from Middle Edge Moss. The incident prompted warnings from Oldham Mountain Rescue about the dangers of visiting the Trinnacle for photographs, noting that over 25% of callouts in the area are now related to this location.
Outcome: group found at Middle Edge Moss and some flown to safety by helicopter
A man suffered a suspected ruptured quadricep while walking at Dovestone on 21 August 2023. Oldham Mountain Rescue and North West Ambulance Service attended and located him near Wimberry Boulders with assistance from his friends. He was assessed and evacuated by stretcher to an ambulance for treatment.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher to ambulance for treatment
Emergency services including Oldham Mountain Rescue Team, police, and fire crews conducted a search at Dovestone Reservoir in Greenfield after reports of someone shouting for help. A fire service drone was deployed to aid the search, which lasted over two hours before being stood down with no one found.
Outcome: search stood down, no one found
A boy fell from a rope swing at Tandle Hill Country Park in Royton and sustained a lower leg injury. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team assisted North West Ambulance Service in extracting and transporting the casualty to hospital, with 13 crew members attending for two and a half hours.
Outcome: casualty transported to hospital by stretcher
Oldham Mountain Rescue Team attended Dovestone reservoir on 12 June after receiving reports of a young deer trapped in the Ashway Gap overflow. The team lowered themselves into the overflow and encouraged the fawn downstream, allowing it to jump clear and escape into the grass.
Outcome: deer successfully encouraged to escape and fled into grass
An experienced walker was rescued after becoming stranded in the dark near Birchen Clough on Saddleworth Moor on Friday night. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team used phone technology to locate the walker and escorted them to safety. The incident highlights the risks of failing light even for equipped and experienced walkers.
Outcome: walker escorted to safety
A man collapsed while walking in the Dovestone area on Valentine's Day and was rescued by Oldham Mountain Rescue Team. Following an initial unsuccessful search, the team located him below Fox Stone and evacuated him by stretcher to hospital.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher to hospital
A member of the public required rescue at Dovestone following an incident in the area. Greater Manchester Police Air Support Unit, Saddleworth & Lees neighbourhood team, and Oldham Mountain Rescue worked together to assist. The casualty was recovered safely.
Outcome: casualty rescued safely and reported well
A man became separated from companions whilst walking at Dovestones Reservoir on Christmas Day and fell into Chew Brook. He was located by police helicopter and ground officers, then assisted by Oldham Mountain Rescue Team volunteers who helped him to safety. He was assessed and transferred to hospital for further checks.
Outcome: casualty escorted to safety, assessed, and handed over to ambulance service for hospital transport
An injured dog walker slipped on a grass slope at Dowry Reservoir in Denshaw on 30 November, injuring his knee and becoming unable to walk. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team attended with fourteen members, assessed and treated the casualty, and carried him on a stretcher to the road for transfer to ambulance care.
Outcome: casualty treated on site and evacuated by stretcher to ambulance
A woman sustained a head injury after falling while descending Birchen Clough near Saddleworth. Seventeen members of Oldham Mountain Rescue Team carried out a complex rescue involving rope systems and stretcher extraction from a narrow path. The casualty was airlifted by North West Air Ambulance helicopter.
Outcome: evacuated by helicopter
An adult and child slipped and fell whilst descending Birchen Clough on the Trinnacle Trail near Dove Stone Reservoir. Both casualties sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene before being transported to hospital. The Mountain Rescue Team attended for two hours and issued a warning about the challenging nature of the route.
Outcome: both casualties treated at scene and transported to hospital with minor injuries
Two people, a young adult and a child, fell while descending Birchen Clough on the Trinnacle Trail in the Peak District. Both were taken to hospital with minor injuries and were assisted down by family members; Oldham Mountain Rescue Team attended with 21 personnel.
Outcome: both casualties taken to hospital with minor injuries
A female walker fell from the path at Birchen waterfall and self-rescued with help from her partner and passers-by to a location above Greenfield Reservoir. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team located her and assisted with treatment; she was transported to hospital with suspected fractures and heavy bruising and later discharged.
Outcome: casualty evacuated to hospital, discharged with suspected fractured ankle and ribs
Two people were injured near Dovestone Reservoir in Saddleworth on 23 January 2022. Emergency services including firefighters, police, ambulance, air ambulance, and two mountain rescue teams responded just after midday. The incident was scaled down and handed to the mountain rescue team and ambulance service; the severity of injuries was not immediately disclosed.
Outcome: incident scaled down, handed to mountain rescue team and ambulance service
A couple became lost in darkness near Dovestone Reservoir in Oldham with limited mobile battery. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team located them near Birchen Clough and escorted them to safety uninjured. The team issued safety guidance for autumn and winter walking.
Outcome: both walkers located unhurt and escorted to safety
A man fell down a steep embankment at Daisy Nook Country Park near Ashton-under-Lyne and sustained a knee injury. Mountain rescers from Oldham Mountain Rescue Team assisted paramedics with a rope extraction to bring him up the slope, and he was conveyed to hospital by ambulance.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher and transported to hospital with knee injury
A female walker sustained a badly injured ankle after falling at Birchen Clough near Dovestones on Friday. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team attended and, assisted by doctors arrived via North West Air Ambulance Charity helicopter, provided pain relief and splinting before stretchering the casualty to an ambulance for transfer to hospital.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher to hospital
A man fell down a rock face at Stamford Park and sustained serious head injuries and possible spinal damage. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team worked with paramedics in a thunderstorm to stabilise him using a vacuum mattress and stretcher before lowering him to ground level for evacuation to hospital.
Outcome: casualty stabilised, packaged and evacuated by stretcher to hospital
A 36-year-old man fell approximately 50 metres from the Trinnacle near Dovestone in February after blacking out whilst training for a charity climb. He was rescued by Oldham Mountain Rescue Team and evacuated by Yorkshire Air Ambulance to Sheffield Northern General Hospital with severe injuries to his right leg, which surgeons successfully saved. Several months later, he provided meals to the rescue teams as thanks for saving his life.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by air ambulance to hospital with serious leg injury; limb saved by surgery
A man and his two dogs became crag-fast on a steep ledge in a quarry near Newhey in Rochdale during darkness. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team deployed 22 members who abseiled down and hauled all three to safety over two hours and fifteen minutes. All were uninjured and returned to their vehicle.
Outcome: man and both dogs hauled to safety uninjured, returned to vehicle
A young woman became stuck on a ledge on Besom Hill near Oldham on Friday afternoon. As Oldham Mountain Rescue Team prepared to rescue her, the ledge gave way and she fell 35 metres down a steep shale slope. She was treated on site by multiple medical personnel and evacuated by stretcher, with hospital assessment later confirming no major injuries.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by stretcher, no major injuries confirmed at hospital
A man fell from the Trinnacle rock formation near Dovestones during strong winds and was found in a very serious condition. He was rescued by a multi-agency operation involving Oldham Mountain Rescue Team, Yorkshire Air Ambulance, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, and was airlifted to Northern General Hospital in Sheffield.
Outcome: casualty airlifted to hospital by helicopter winch
A man fell approximately 200 feet from the Trinnacles rock formation on Saddleworth Moor in February 2021 after fainting while posing for photographs. He sustained multiple fractures including a fractured skull and internal bleeding, and was rescued by Oldham Mountain Rescue Team and Yorkshire Air Ambulance. After months of intensive hospital care and rehabilitation, he made a full recovery and is now fundraising for the rescue services that assisted him.
Outcome: rescued by helicopter and ground team, evacuated to hospital, made full recovery after months of rehabilitation
A woman slipped and injured her ankle while walking on Crompton Moor on Saturday. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team and North West Ambulance Service paramedics jointly provided medical care, packaged the casualty on a stretcher, and transported her to hospital. The team was engaged for two hours and sixteen minutes.
Outcome: casualty evacuated to hospital by ambulance
A mountain rescue operation on the moors involved two helicopters. The details of the incident are not accessible from the provided source material.
A 12-year-old girl fell from a rope swing in a wooded area of Glodwick, sustaining fractures to both arms and a knee injury. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team assisted with extraction from the steep location using their Alphin stretcher, and the casualty was treated and evacuated successfully.
Outcome: casualty treated and evacuated by stretcher
A dog fell into a 20-foot-deep pothole on Saddleworth Moor near Dovestone Reservoir and was successfully rescued by Oldham Mountain Rescue Team. The team used the incident to warn walkers about the hazards of exploring such holes without proper experience and equipment.
Outcome: dog rescued and reunited with owner, shaken but otherwise uninjured
Oldham Mountain Rescue Team was called to assist a family of three after the father fell in moorland near Dovestone in the Saddleworth countryside. All three were safely located and helped down from the steep ground, with the father receiving assistance from team members. The incident lasted approximately two hours and fifteen minutes.
Outcome: casualty and family assisted off moorland safely
A group became lost in poor weather at Dovestone near Greenfield, with one member unable to walk. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team located them at Wimberry Rocks using telephone direction-finding and PhoneFind technology. Two walkers descended under their own power while the third was carried on a stretcher and transported to hospital by ambulance.
Outcome: two walkers descended uninjured, one casualty evacuated by stretcher to hospital
A young woman sustained a lower leg injury while walking on Blackstone Edge near Littleborough on Easter Saturday evening. She was treated at the scene and stretchered down by Oldham Mountain Rescue Team in a three-hour operation involving 18 personnel.
Outcome: casualty stretchered to ambulance for onward transport
A 56-year-old man from Stalybridge became stuck in a peat bog at Dovestones, submerged to his waist and gradually sinking. Police and Oldham Mountain Rescue worked together to excavate him using straps and heather, freeing him after approximately one hour. He was treated for exposure but sustained no injuries.
Outcome: casualty rescued uninjured, treated for exposure
A 51-year-old man from Oldham was reported missing on 26 January 2018 and was last seen in the Dovestone area on the following afternoon. Mountain rescue teams from Oldham MRT, supported by police, conducted search operations in the reservoir area.
Two men in their twenties became trapped at the bottom of a 50-foot sewer shaft in Oldham town centre after abseiling down on makeshift equipment as a prank. Fire crews and Oldham Mountain Rescue Team attended and used ropes and harnesses to rescue both casualties, who suffered only minor cuts and bruises.
Outcome: both casualties rescued uninjured; minor cuts and bruises only
Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team discovered an elderly man in his 90s sitting outside their base who had gone missing from Liversedge several days earlier. The team provided him with refreshments and contacted police, who collected him. This incident occurred during an exceptionally busy 10-day period in which the team responded to 10 callouts, including a seriously injured climber, a child with suspected neck and leg injuries, and a woman who collapsed on the moors.
Outcome: located and handed to police