Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team experienced a hectic week of six callouts around Mid and South Wales recently.

On Monday, May 19, the team were contacted to assist the Welsh Ambulance Service and Dyfed-Powys Police with a female casualty on the Four Waterfalls Trail in Ystradfellte.

The female walker had broken her ankle on the trail.

Treated by the team, one of the 4x4 drivers was able to get the vehicle close to the casualty’s position and the lady was able to get on board the vehicle instead of having to be stretchered. The walker was then taken to hospital by family members for further assessment and treatment.

Once that incident had concluded, a limited response comprising of a vehicle and a few team members attended Bike Park Wales to assist with the extraction of a rider from one of the trails.

The team were requested by South Wales Police to assist with the search for a missing person in the Abercynon area.

Working with multiple rescue teams and emergency services, team members undertook extensive searches of the area but with nothing found. Sad news followed when police advised a body had been located, believed to be the missing person.

Central Beacons members responded to another incident in the Waterfall County on Thursday, May 22. A gentleman out walking with a group of friends took a tumble near one of the falls, slipped and sustained a significant head injury. Fortunately, one of the team doctors was in the area and was quickly on scene alongside the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park warden.

Due to the serious nature of his condition an evacuation by helicopter was requested and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency from St Athan attended. In very difficult flying conditions, they managed to airlift the gentleman out of the gorge.

He was then transferred to the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service Wales air ambulance for transfer directly to hospital in Cardiff. The team worked alongside colleagues from WBMRT again, who assisted in moving the casualty on a stretcher to a location from where he could be winched into the aircraft.

A spokesperson from Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team said: “We have since learnt that despite some quite serious head injuries the gentleman was sitting up and chatting in hospital, so the outlook is promising, we wish him a speedy recovery.”

On the fifth callout of the week, on Friday, May 23, the team, along with Brecon Mountain Rescue Team, attended to a lady on the main path to Pen y Fan who had fallen, tumbled and sustained a large wound to the head.

She was was treated by one of the Remote Rescue Medical Technicians and then evacuated back down to the car park on a stretcher before being transferred to hospital via ambulance.

Later on Friday afternoon, at Bike Park Wales, team members assisted with the evacuation of a rider who nigh on the last run of the day came off and sustained suspected spinal injuries, an obviously broken wrist and a possible dislocated shoulder.

Treated by the BPW First Responder Medics, he was extracted from the trail and transferred onto a WAST ambulance for onwards transfer to hospital.

Following the busy week, a spokesperson for Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team said: “Phew! A busy week of superb interagency working with other emergency services partners.

“We wish all our casualties speedy recoveries from their respective injuries.

“CBMRT is a 100% professional emergency service delivered by our dedicated volunteer team members. In order to continue to provide this service we are reliant on generosity of public donations.”