Incident 456 – Ringing Rake Sough The team responded to a call out shortly before 9pm last night. A party of cavers on a through trip near Matlock Bath were overdue and attempts by other cavers to locate them had not been successful earlier that evening. DCRO deployed teams underground via Gentle Woman’s shaft and Youds’ Level at 10:30pm and after a good search the party were found, rewarmed, and after a bit of gravel digging in some tight areas, the overdue party were escorted through to the lower entrance shortly before 5:00am. Thanks to our colleagues at Derbyshire Police for their company and support.

The team were called out, 20th December, to a caver who had sustained a suspected lower-leg fracture at the bottom of the Flower Pot entrance shaft. After pain relief the injured caver was hauled out of the awkward entrance shaft and handed over to EMAS for further treatment

We were called out at just after 9:30PM to assist a group of four adventurers, who had descended the 60 metre deep Eldon Hole earlier in the day. Two had managed the climb out, but the other two were unable to climb out without assistance. Volunteers from the team attended, with two cavers going underground with equipment, food and drink and the others setting up for a haul. The two trapped men were in good spirits, and were hauled smoothly up to the surface. Everyone was out of the cave by 3am the next day.

The team were called just after 15:00 26th July, 2025 to assist a trapped caver in Streaks Pot, Stoney Middleton, after one of the party of 3 exited to raise the alarm. With 21 volunteers on site the casualty was quickly located with the other member of their party, uninjured but unable to progress past a tight point within the cave. Team members worked to widen some sections to free the stuck caver whilst his companion was escorted out. The stuck caver was safely returned to the surface shortly before 11PM and driven back to his accommodation.

Walkers heard a Bleating sound high above Castleton, and informed the Farmer. The call came through to us via the Police and a crack squad of 4 Team members attended, using the Larkin Frame to descend and retrieve the stuck animal

The team were deployed shortly before 5pm on Friday the 13th to reports of two overdue cavers. An initial search found both cavers near the very bottom of the cave near sump 1, An experienced caver had suffered a fall while guiding a novice caver. The novice was evacuated from the cave whilst other team members and our team doctors began treating the other caver before starting the evacuation. Our new heated casualty jackets were used to good effect and despite heavy bruising, suspected Brocken ribs the casualty was able to walk between pitches making the evacuation much quicker than it would have been in a stretcher The injured caver was handed over to the care of EMAS paramedics for a thorough check over at 1:30am

The team were asked to assist New Mills Fire and Rescue with the extraction of a Cow that had decided to explore a culvert with the necessary safety equipment or the room to reverse back out! Using an excavator, an escape route was dug through into the culvert and the animal returned to the surface