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.
CALL OUT 449: Nettle Pot
The team were called out to Nettle Pot near Castleton on Saturday the 17th of May 2025. A caver reported that one of their party had fallen on route back from a trip to Derbyshire Hall sustaining possible pelvic injuries. 32 DCRO team members worked for around 8 hours to treat and extract the casualty before passing them over to EMAS for onward transport to hospital. A few days later, the casualty (on crutches) joined team members at our base to help check and repack the equipment used on the rescue. We were pleased to hear that there were no serious injuries and a full recovery was expected.
CALL OUT 448: Giants Hole
An instructed party on a trip in Giants Hole had left a callout with a responsible person on the surface. Having not heard from the instructor at the agreed time, and being unable to raise them on the phone, they called DCRO. Local team members were quickly on site and confirmed with other instructors present that the missing group had moved onto another cave earlier in the day. A quick check by another team member at the other cave confirmed the presence of one very embarrassed instructor and their clients. The instructor had forgotten to alter the previous callout with the surface person, a simple case of human error. With the group located safe and well, the team stood down.
CALL OUT: 447 P8 (Jackpot)
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
CALL OUT 446: High Peak – Calf in Workings
The team were requested to help locate a missing calf that had likely fell into some mine workings that had recently opened up due to recent weather. The collapsing workings were extremely unstable making extraction impossible despite the best efforts of team members
CALL OUT 445: New Mills – Cow in Culvert
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
CALL OUT 444: Cowlow Sheep Rescue
The team were alerted to a stranded sheep stuck down a small rift by passing walkers who heard the cries from underground, upon arriving at the site and assessing the situation our volunteers became aware of a second sheep, also stuck in a nearby rift. A 2 for one rescue with both casualties returned to the surface.
CALL OUT 443: Giants Hole
The team was called out to Giants Hole around 12am this morning. Snow hampered progress initially, but luckily our friends at Buxton Mountain Rescue Team were in attendance to support us with surface personnel and off road vehicles. The team stood down at approx. 3:30am after hauling 3 very cold people up Garlands Pot and sending them for rewarming and a check over by EMAS.
CALL OUT: 442, Well near High Flatts, South Yorkshire
The team were contacted by a Farmer after a Sheep had fallen down a well when the capping stone had moved due to the extreme wet weather. A small team attended, using gas monitoring equipment to first establish the atmosphere was safe the sheep was recovered using specialist rope access equipment.
CALL OUT 441: Giants Hole
A group of cavers were reported as overdue at approximately 6pm on Thursday 29th December – they had been undertaking the classic round trip at Giant’s Hole close to Castleton and had started their trip at 11am. Arriving on the scene, a group of rescuers were sent underground to search the round trip and communications were set up underground and above ground to allow the passage of information between the underground teams and the control team. A further team of rescuers entered the cave to rig up Garland’s Pot, and another sent to a nearby cave to ensure that the missing cavers had not decided to extend their day’s adventures. The missing cavers were discovered at approximately 9pm and were well, but very cold. They were assessed by the team doctors and were led to Garland’s Pot by the rescuers, where they were hauled up, warmed up with hot drinks and walked to surface by 11:48pm. We sincerely hope that this adventure will not dissuade the party from future caving.