2 Oct 2009 : If the shoe fits....keep it on

The team were called out to Thorpe Cloud near Dovedale on the 2nd October in order to rescue a stranded walker.

A 74 year old man had walked up the popular local hill but had got into difficulty near the top when he reached the steeper slopes. He had been wearing unsuitable footwear and had found that he had insufficient grip for the terrain. In an attempt to improve his grip, he had removed his shoes but found that it was still too difficult to go forward. He then attempted to remove his socks to see if that helped but unfortunately dropped his shoes which rolled down the hill, leaving him unable to progress in any direction.

Thirteen members of the volunteer emergency services responded to his call for assistance as well as the DLRAA (Derbyshire Leicestershire & Rutland) Air Ambulance. The DLRAA helicopter was able to drop two of it’s crew on the hill top whilst rescue team members ascended from below.

The man was found to be uninjured and was walked off the hill with the support of the air ambulance crew and rescue team members. His shoes were never located.

A team spokesman said: “This situation just goes to show how important it is to have suitable footwear when walking on the hills. Luckily on this occasion the man was not injured, but falls and injuries are only too common in this type of situation”.