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  3rd November 2005
IAN FINDLAY RETIRES FROM TWSRT AFTER 32 YEARS


Ian Findlay retires after 32 years in Mountain Rescue

This week Ian Findlay retires after 32 years service to Mountain Rescue in the Teesdale and Weardale Search and Rescue Team.

Of "northern farming stock" and following two years National Service in the army, he moved into teaching at Plumbton Agricultural College in Sussex. His speciality at the time was livestock and conservation and this was to play a major part in his future career and beyond. In early 1974 he moved to Forest in Teesdale and took up a post of conservation officer for upper Teesdale with the Nature Conservancy Council. His main aim was to work with the farming community to encourage conservation within an internationally renowned botanical area of Great Britain.

Ian's membership of the then Upper Teesdale and Weardale Fell Rescue Association came via an unusual route. "Living in the upper part of the dale I was often called by either Don or Marion Robinson the wardens of Langdon Beck youth hostel when parties of school children were over due. At that time many enthusiastic teachers were taking school parties onto the fells totally unprepared. It was not unusual for me to be involved with two to three of these parties per month. As a result of this Dennis Coggins, the then team controller asked me to become a member. It got so bad that I personally went to County Hall to highlight this problem to the education authorities. Initially I was met with some indifference but with the backing of the fell rescue team slowly things started to improve.

Ian feels the rescue team then was very different to the team we know today. "It was not as big but everyone was still very enthusiastic. We only had one vehicle and two portable radios. Probably the biggest difference was that we only dealt with incidents on the fells."

High Force water fall was to play a big part in Ian's time with the team. It initially started with a rather unusual request. He was asked to give advice to a TV company who wanted to do an advert promoting Ford cars at High Force. This involved the company constructing an imitation rock above the falls and helicoptoring the car onto the top of the rock. To make this easier they wanted to cut down a number of trees. Ian quietly explained that those trees had been there hundreds of years and they were not going to be cut down for a thirty second advert.

Ian was often called by the landlord of the High force Hotel whenever anyone was in trouble near the falls. This was the case in 1986 when a father and son fell into the water above the falls. The father miraculously ended up on a ledge twenty feet below the lip of the falls. When Ian arrived he swam across the river, upstream from the falls with two climbing ropes, abseiled down to the man and assisted by passers by, the man was hauled to the top of the cliff. Ian then walked the father back to his family. This was probably the most traumatic incident Ian had to deal with in his time with the team. All the time during the twenty minute walk the father was asking Ian if he felt his son would be okay. This was a very difficult time as tragically the child did not survive. For Ian's action's on this day he was later awarded a bronze medal by the Order of St John.
In 1979 the team were called out for the first time, but not the last, to an incident away from the fells. Large amounts of snow had fallen over the dales leading to drifts over six feet high. A van driver was reported overdue in the Eggleston area. Ian was part of a group which went out and searched many of the roads in the area but the body of the man was only discovered by a snow plough a few days later.

Just before Christmas in 1988 the team was asked to assist in searching large areas of Kielder Forest and Southern Scotland following the explosion of the Pan am plane over Lochabie. Ian, with other team members spent three days searching the wooded areas. In Ian's words "This was a grim do. We found many personal items including passports, money and clothing. To look at the picture of a child in the passport was especially difficult. About six months after we returned I received a telephone call from a young man in America. He had been the boyfriend of one of the eleven people whose bodies were never found. I had found his girlfriends passport and somehow he had got my name and managed to trace me. He was desperate for information because he had heard that the enquiries were winding down. This of course was not the case and I was able to put him into contact with people who could assist him."

The local hill farmers will certainly miss Ian's expertise. He has rescued 91 sheep which have become stuck on crags throughout Teesdale and Weardale. Ian's rescue technique involves leaving the sheep for two to three days " to hunger" then abseiling down to the crag. Once he has managed to get them on their back he ties a rope around their horns, attaches it to his harness and lets the sheep hang between his legs while he lowers himself and the sheep to the ground. "This may sound uncomfortable for the sheep but I remember one time when I looked down between my legs to see the sheep chewing grass which was within her reach as she passed a ledge.

In 1996 Ian was awarded a MBE for his conservation work. At the time he was quick to praise all local farmers. "Farmers in the Upper dale have always been very helpful to me with regard to conservation. I never looked at it from an extreme point of view, I realised, that farming and conservation had to work hand in hand for it to be a success."

Although working with the rescue team can be at times distressing, it does have it's lighter moments. I remember going to the aid of a lady in her sixties who had broken her ankle below Cauldron Snout. We put her in a stretcher and started to carry her to the top of the waterfall. During this time she told me it had been 50 years since she had last been here and it looked like she would not see the falls again. We diverted the carry out over towards the falls and lifted the head end so she could have a view of Cauldron Snout. Despite being in some pain she insisted we hand her camera so she could take a photograph.
On another occasion the team were involved in rescuing a stranded motorist in upper Teesdale. When we found the elderly man it was possible to reverse the car out of the drift. The man was nervous and said he could not see out of the back to reverse properly. I put my arm through his open window in order to steer the car. We had not moved very far when the man inadvertently closed the electric window trapping my arm. This of course caused the car to veer off course and it knocked one of my colleagues over a wall. The car eventually stopped and I ran over to find out if he had been hurt. All I saw were the bottoms of two Wellington boots. My colleague had fallen head first into a five foot snow drift. He was completely unharmed but it took us ten minutes to dig him out.

The team holds exercises every month throughout the year. In his 32 years with the team Ian has attended more than 350 exercises in all weathers. Many present and former Team members owe a great deal to Ian's training skills. "The spirit and banter within the team is what I will miss most. The Team has always attracted a cross section of people, although volunteers they work in a professional way to help their fellow human beings in trouble",

Ian was asked if he would take on an administrative role within the team. His reply probably sums up the nature of the man, "No. I am much more use out in the field, reading the countryside and managing the troops. That's where my skills lie."

Although Ian is retiring from the team he will not be sitting at home with his slippers on watching the TV. He is a keen photographer and is currently compiling a video of wildlife and farming methods in all seasons within the dale. He is chairman of the parish counsel, chairman of the independent monitoring board at Deerbolt Young Offenders Institute and still carries out various conservation surveys.


Team leader Dave Bartles-Smith said "My overriding memory of Ian is his commitment to ensuring the Team is able to deal with and operate in the harshest of terrain and conditions. Long stretcher hauls and navigation on high fells in the poorest of weather and visibility would always make Ian's day, and so it should. Over the years, Ian's knowledge, intimacy of the land, and leadership in the North Pennines has often left me and others in awe and inspired. You can teach the basics of mountain sense, but it is only through experience that anyone gains real skills and knowledge, and Ian's many years of High Pennine adventure will be a miss to the Team, but must surely leave us all with something to strive to emulate.


3rd November 2005

Scott Bissett
Press Officer

Teesdale & Weardale Search & Mountain Rescue Team

Notes For Editor
Teesdale & Weardale Search & Mountain Rescue Team are affiliated to the "Mountain Rescue - England and Wales". We provide a Search and Rescue service throughout County Durham and beyond primarily for the Police but also for the other emergency services. All Team members are volunteers and we rely on monies raised by ourselves as a registered charity to run the Team. Further details regarding our latest callouts and Team information can be found on our website www.twsmrt.org.uk


Previous Releases:


24/05/21Three missing Ladies
15/04/21Search for missing teacher
30/11/20Missing woman found!
18/08/20Cauldron snout incident
05/06/20Search Dogs to the Rescue
26/07/19Team Rescue dog from high fell
26/12/18Boxing day callout.
04/05/18Early morning Dog rescue
28/02/18Busy snow day for Mountain Rescue Team
15/12/17Team unveil new vehicle
05/12/17Missing teenager found!
03/12/17Team donates vehicle!
28/11/17Two Casualties Found at Same Time in Same Village
27/09/17NOW RECRUITING !
26/09/17Extensive multi agency search in Durham
31/07/17Barnard Castle street collection
20/07/17Extensive Search in Peter Lee Area
17/04/17Mountain rescue teams save army cadets from night on the moors.
10/04/17Reported Missing
10/12/16Base Open Day
15/10/16New Mountain Rescue Center Opens
27/09/16Missing Grouse Beater Sparks Major Search
18/09/16Mountain Rescue Exercise Turns Into Real Thing
28/12/15BUSY CHRISTMAS PERIOD FOR LOCAL MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM
13/12/15RESCUE TEAM ASSIST NORTH EAST AMBULANCE SERVICE
22/07/15MOUNTAIN RESCUE CASUALTY SAYS THANK YOU
18/07/15SEARCH CONTINUES FOR MISSING FERRYHILL MAN
21/06/15MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM ASSIST WITH INJURED MOUNTAIN BIKER
17/01/15THIRD DAY OF SEARCH FOR RESCUE TEAM
22/08/14RESCUE TEAM ASSIST AMBULANCE SERVICE
10/08/14RESCUE DOG NEVER OFF DUTY
06/08/14NEW VEHICLE FOR RESCUE TEAM
31/07/14RESCUE TEAM TREAT INJURED WALKER
17/07/14FAREWELL TO FOUNDER MEMBER OF RESCUE TEAM
02/07/14RESCUE IN WEARDALE INVOLVING ALL EMERGENCY SERVICES
26/06/14STUDENTS SUPPORT RESCUE TEAM IN MEMORY OF LUKE PEARCE
12/05/14RESCUE TEAM SEARCH FOR MISSING STUDENT
30/04/14RESCUE TEAM FIND CASUALTY IN RECORD TIME
10/03/14RESCUE TEAM INVOLVED IN MISSING DEPUTY HEAD SEARCH
09/02/14MISSING MAN FOUND BY RESCUE TEAM
02/01/14BUSY 2013 FOR RESCUE TEAM
08/12/13RESCUE TEAMS FIND BODY OF MISSING STOCKTON MAN
30/11/13 RESCUE TEAM CONTINUE SEARCH FOR MISSING STUDENT
01/11/13MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM SEARCH FOR MISSING STUDENT
18/09/13MOUNTAIN RESCUE GREAT NORTH STRETCHER CARRY
14/09/13MOUNTAIN RESCUE INVOLVED IN DRAMATIC RIVER RESCUE
07/07/13SEARCH FOR MISSING PETERLEE MAN
24/03/13BAD WEATHER KEEPS RESCUE TEAM BUSY
24/02/13RESCUE TEAMS IN 16 HOUR SEARCH
27/01/13SEARCH FOR MISSING KITE SKIER IN PENNINES
02/01/13BUSY 2013 FOR RESCUE TEAM
27/12/12MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM SEEKING RECRUITS
11/12/12RESCUE TEAMS HELP WITH DOG RESCUE
27/11/12ALL CHANGE IN LOCAL MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM
11/11/12MAJOR SEARCH AND RESCUE IN PENNINES
27/10/12RESCUE TEAM FIND MISSING MAN
28/06/12RESCUE TEAM INVOLVED IN COUNTY DURHAM FLOODS
21/06/12RESCUE TEAM RECEIVE QUEENS JUBILEE MEDALS
22/05/12SCOUT GROUP HELP OUT RESCUE TEAM
29/04/12RESCUE TEAM INVOLVED IN SEARCH FOR MISSING BOY
04/03/12MAN FOUND AFTER OVERNIGHT SEARCH BY RESCUE TEAM
26/02/12RESCUE TEAM TREAT INJURED MOUNTAIN BIKER
19/01/12TOP AWARD FOR NEW RESCUE TEAM SEARCH DOG
11/01/12JOLLY LARGE DONATION TO MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM
08/01/12WALKERS LOST OVERNIGHT ON PENNINES
16/12/11AWARD FOR LOCAL MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM LEADER
13/12/11MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM LEADER THANKS GENEROUS PUBLIC
04/12/11Donation Buys Defibrillator for Rescue Team
03/12/11RIVER SEARCH CONTINUES FOR MISSING MAN
30/11/11RESCUE TEAM SEARCH RIVER FOR MISSING MAN
21/11/11RESCUE TEAM IN SEARCH FOR MISSING MAN
02/05/11TWO NEW SEARCH DOGS FOR RESCUE TEAM
13/02/11RESCUE TEAM FINDS MISSING WALKER
13/02/11THIRD SUCCESSFUL FIND FOR RESCUE TEAM IN ONE WEEK
04/02/11RESCUE TEAM FINDS MAN AFTER 40 HOURS
19/01/11MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM SEEKS NEW MEMBERS
08/12/10MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM MEMBER RECEIVES BRAVERY AWARD
02/12/10RESCUE TEAM HELP OUT DISTRICT NURSES
23/11/10NEW TEAM LEADER FOR RESCUE TEAM
01/10/10BUSY WEEK FOR LOCAL RESCUE TEAM
28/08/10RESCUE TEAM HELP WITH ALAN HINKES CHALLENGE
14/07/10RESCUE TEAM SEARCH FOR MISSING MAN
28/06/10BIG LOTTERY AWARD FOR MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM
23/06/10North East Search & Rescue Team Cannon Ball Run
03/06/10North East Search & Rescue Team Helps after Cumbria Shooting
27/03/10Major Search Finds Missing Walkers
28/01/10Rescue Team Find Missing Man
25/01/10Countryfiles Matt Baker Helps Out Rescue Team
21/01/10Countryfiles Matt Baker Helps Out Rescue Team
13/01/10Major Search For Missing Fisherman
10/01/10Mountain Rescue Team Working For Last 5 Days
10/01/10Mountain Rescue Team Take Food To Animal Sanctuary
31/12/09Callouts Continue For Local Mountain Rescue Team
30/12/09Busy Day For Mountain Rescue Team
20/12/09Mountain Rescue Team Assist in Bad Weather
29/11/09Local Mountain Rescue Team Meet Prince Charles
20/11/09Local Mountain Rescue Team Help During Cumbrian Floods
10/11/09Mountain Rescue Team Receives Cash Donation
18/10/09No Sign of Missing Ferryhill Man
17/10/09Major Search For Missing Man
27/05/09Local Walking Group to the Rescue
26/03/09NE Rescue Teams Join York Search
25/01/09Missing Man Found Following Search
20/01/09Fell walker airlifted to safety
18/01/09Major Donation To Mountain Rescue Team
19/12/08Major Search for missing man
19/12/08Missing man found
30/09/08Rescue team find missing woman
24/08/08RESCUE TEAM 40TH ANNIVERSARY A SUCCESS
17/08/08RESCUE TEAM CELEBRATE 40TH ANNIVERSARY
24/06/08WOMEN WALKER RESCUED AFTER FALL
08/05/08Busy night for Rescue Team
30/04/08MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM RECOVER INJURED WALKER
29/03/08INJURED WALKER RECOVERED FROM FELL
28/03/08MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM FILM FOR BBC PROGRAMME
23/03/08Rescue from Gibson Cave
03/02/08MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAMS CONTINUE SEARCH FOR MISSING MAN
01/02/08MOUNTAIN RESCUE INVOLVED IN MAJOR SEARCH & RESCUE ON A66
31/01/08Search for missing man
16/06/07Major Search for Missing Soldier
25/03/07Sea & Mud Challenge to Help Local Charities
11/02/07Baby Rescued From Snow By Rescue Team
29/01/07Search Dog Success
20/01/07Rescue Team Needs Rescuers
20/11/06Team have first winter snows whilst on exercise in High Pennine
07/11/06Elderly man found after extensive search
15/10/06Body found after major search
25/08/06Dog rescued from lead mine shaft
13/08/06Search for missing 75 year old
30/07/06Unusual Rescue for Search and Rescue Team
28/07/06Visit by Icelandic Search and Rescue Youth Team July 2006
22/07/06Search for missing 33 year old
25/03/06Sea & Mud Challenge
25/03/06Major search continue for missing Gentleman
19/03/06Cub Scout Leader Injured on Walk
01/02/06Outstanding success for three Search and Rescue Dogs
10/01/06Rescue Team appeal for new recruits
03/11/05Ian Findlay retires from TWSRT after 32 years

Routine press enquiries can be sent to publicity while urgent media enquiries can be sent here.

Some recent articles in the press can also be found here. Articles linked to callouts are linked directly from the callout page.

We are in the process of putting all our historical press articles online here. If you have any new articles which we have missed please let us know.

 

SEARCH AND RESCUE THROUGHOUT COUNTY DURHAM

CHARITY REG NO: 508877