Rescuers at the scene at the Drake Stone. Photo: Northumberland NPMRT

Rescuers had to go to the aid of a 10-year-old boy who got stuck on a climbing crag in the Northumberland national park.

The incident was one of eight the Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team and North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team volunteers dealt with in the past three weeks.

Northumbria Police alerted the teams to rescue the boy who got stuck at the top of the Drake Stone, near Harbottle, after climbing it.

A Northumberland NPMRT spokesperson said: “The Drake Stone is popular location with rock-climbers where climbing routes vary between 8m and 15m in height depending on which side of the stone is climbed.

“Mountain rescue team members climbed to the top of the stone to ensure the boy’s welfare before rigging a technical rescue rope system to safely lower him to the ground.

“The rescue lasted for 2½ hours and involved 10 mountain rescue volunteers. The incident demonstrated fantastic multi-agency teamwork between the mountain rescue teams, Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service and Northumbria Police.”

The boy got stuck after climbing the crag. Photo: Northumberland NPMRT

The teams were also called out when a walker injured his leg on a remote part of the Pennine Way near Rochester.

The spokesperson said: “After an hour-long stretcher carry across the moors with inclement weather to the nearest drivable track, the casualty was transferred to an ambulance for onward transport to hospital.

“The incident lasted for 4½ hours and involved 20 mountain rescue volunteers.”

Other callouts for the two teams included a woman with a head injury after a slip at Hadrian’s Wall east of Housesteads, a woman with an injured leg at Shield on the Wall, a few kilometres east on the Roman wall, and another walker with a leg injury on the Pennine Way above the College Valley.

The Prestwick Coastguard helicopter, which was in the area taking part in a rescue with the Tweed Valley team, airlifted the man in the last incident to hospital. The spokesperson said: “Mountain rescue then located the casualty’s group and helped them descend off the hills before Northumbria Police gave them assistance back to their vehicles.”

Another walker with a leg injury was rescued after slipping at St Cuthbert’s Cave. She was treated as the scene by a paramedic before being taken by a mountain rescue Land Rover ambulance to a road ambulance.

The two teams were called out after two teenagers walking along Hadrian’s Wall failed to turn up at a pre-arranged meeting place with their parents, but as the volunteers were planning their search, the pair turned up safe and well.

The two teams were called out eight times recently. Photo: Northumberland NPMRT

Teesdale and Weardale Mountain Rescue Team requested the help of the two neighbouring teams after an all-night search for a high risk missing person in their late 20s in the Stanley area of County Durham. The missing person was found before the two teams could begin their search.

The Teesdale and Weardale team also asked for help after an overnight search for a man in his 80s who was missing from home in the Darlington area.

The Northumberland team spokesperson said a mountain rescue Land Rover with four people was sent immediately with other team members joining later in the day. The Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team also attended, along with search and rescue dogs from across the North-East of England.

The spokesperson said: “After four hours of searching, the man was found. He was evacuated to a crewed ambulance for onward transport to hospital.”

Eight volunteers from the Northumberland and North of Tyne teams were involved for 7¾ hours.

The spokesperson said: “With such a busy period, the mountain rescue teams wish to thank their members’ employers and families, who let them disappear at any time, day or night, without question and without notice 365 days a year.”