BUDE Coastguard Rescue Team was paged just after 5pm on Sunday, January 7, after the Coastguard Operations Centre in Falmouth was alerted to a report of a fallen climber at Vicarage Cliffs, Morwenstow, by Devon and Cornwall Police.

The climber had fallen 30 feet down a rock face and into a crevasse, sustaining several injuries.

With ambulances and a critical care team already at the location, Hartland Coastguard Rescue Team and the HM Coastguard Rescue helicopter — Rescue 924 — were also dispatched to the incident.

With two members of the Bude team already on scene and liaising with the police and paramedics, the other coastguard assets arrived shortly afterward, with coastguard rescue team members taking up standby positions on the cliff top.

Rescue 924 quickly located the casualty and his climbing partner, and — with a fast advancing tide — immediately lowered the winchman paramedic down to the casualty.

As Rescue 924 was tasked to this incident directly from another, and to conserve fuel, a helicopter landing site was requested on the cliff top, which members of the Bude and Hartland teams quickly set about preparing.

Having set down in the HLS for approximately ten minutes, the winchman from Rescue 924 requested the stretcher be deposited to his location by the helicopter.

Having done this, Rescue 924 once again set down within the helicopter landing site before deciding they needed to return to Newquay to refuel.

With a fast turnaround, Rescue 924 was quickly back on scene and immediately set about winching aboard the casualty’s climbing partner and then the casualty himself before evacuating the casualty and his partner directly to Derriford Hospital.

An air ambulance, which is only allowed to land at a few designated sites during the hours of darkness, landed in Bradworthy as it was the nearest site. However, it was not required as the tasking had been completed by Rescue 924.

The condition of the casualty is unknown at this time.