BUDE Coastguard Rescue Team was recently tasked to Vicarage Cliffs in Morwenstow, following the report of a paraglider who had crashed into the side of a cliff.

On Friday, June 16, Bude Coastguard Rescue Team was paged to attend the incident at 5.44pm, and Hartland Coastguard Search and Rescue Team were also tasked, as was the duty senior coastal operations officer, and Bude Lifeboat.

With one member of Bude Coastguard Rescue Team already on scene (CRO Bude 05), he directed the advancing teams via radio into a clifftop position above the casualty.

After an initial assessment, and having ascertained that the casualty was unhurt and safe at the bottom of the cliff, it was deemed that a technical rope rescue, although possible, was difficult and carried some risk given the terrain on the clifftop. A rescue by Bude Lifeboat was also deemed too treacherous, given the sea state and rocky shoreline.

With Rescue 924, the coastguard rescue helicopter based in Newquay, already scrambled and in the air, it was decided that this would be the safest form of extrication, so Bude Coastguard Rescue Team prepared a helicopter landing site for transfer of the casualty to the land teams, once he had been rescued by the helicopter.

After lowering the winchman to make a medical assessment of the casualty, the helicopter returned and recovered both the winchman and the casualty aboard.

Rescue 924 then proceeded to the HLS prepared by members of the Bude team, where the helicopter set down and the casualty was walked to waiting members of the coastguard rescue teams, where a final assessment of his condition was given, following which he was released to return home.

All teams were stood down soon afterward.