A PARAGLIDING accident, broken legs, a missing family of cyclists and a fatality were among the incidents one mountain rescue team responded to in 2020.

Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team was dispatched to a number of incidents across the Lake District last year.

The team, who are all volunteers, described the past 12 months as a 'year of variety' with 'no indication of what was to come'.

In February, the team helped search for missing 86-year-old Arthur Wilson, of Cark in Cartmel, who suffered from dementia.

Sadly, Mr Wilson's body was later found by Bay Search and Rescue.

As the country was plunged into its first lockdown in March, the public was encouraged to only exercise locally, but the mountain rescue team still remained on call.

A spokesman said: "We were only called once in three months but this incident demonstrated the importance of the lockdown guidance: a couple drove 20 miles for a fell walk; one of them tripped and broke their leg; the other went for help but also slipped, although was able to continue with difficulty.

"The rescue operation potentially exposed 17 team members to the virus."

During the relaxation of rules in the summer, the team received 22 call outs in three months.

A spokesman said: "This was mainly due to the number of first-time visitors to the Lakes, many of whom relied on a phone as their map, torch, and means to call for help, with the first two uses depleting the battery before the third critical need could be met."

Among the call outs was a family who had hired bikes in Ambleside and attempted to cycle over Scafell Pike to Wasdale against advice.

The family abandoned their bikes near Angle Tarn and later got lost.

The team conducted a vehicle search during the night and a foot search in the morning until the family arrived at Wasdale Head without assistance.

Later the rescue team attended to a fell runner trying to complete the 214 Wainwright fells but failed to complete the final summit and became stranded in the wild area between Harter Fell and Hard Knott.

A spokesman said: "His phone gave us a location and he was quickly walked off to safety. In response to the rescue he raised £300 for the team, and a similar sum for his local team, when he completed Harter Fell another day."

Finally in October, Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team was called out after a paraglider crashed his aircraft due to his canopy collapsing soon after take-off from Great Burney.

The paraglider broke his femur, with possible ankle and pelvic injuries.

The year ended with another national lockdown, and the fells became 'relatively quiet again'.

A spokesman said: "Our year was statistically average but the detail far from average. We are proud of our commitment as ‘key workers’ and of our ability to maintain a full service with a few team members required to shield or self-isolate."