Buxton's mountain rescue team has its busiest year ever

Volunteers at the service have reported 109 call-outs in 2018 - up from the average 80 of previous years.

The vast majority of incidents involved lower-leg injuries including ankles - which often happen nowhere near mountains but on rough terrain which ambulance crews could not access without help from the mountain rescue team.

However the heavy snow which affected Buxton particularly badly in March left many drivers stranded on remote roads and the mountain rescue was their only source of help in many cases.

The team - which is wholly made-up of volunteers - has conducted several large search and rescue operations on Kinder Scout where walkers lost track of time and were taken by surprise by darkness or had unsuitable navigation equipment.

Team member Darren Hunt told how the increase in call-outs meant the charity - which relies solely on donations to keep afloat - was looking to introduce drones and switch to digital radio from analogue to improve its service.

He said: “The service is hugely important for the area we live in.

“There are a number of incidences where without us the outcomes would have been very different.”

Darren is appealing for help in the form of volunteers to organise fundraising activities or from local businesses to make donations or help in any way they can.

To find out more about how you can get involved visit buxtonmountainrescue.org.uk or send the team a message via its Facebook or Twitter pages.