A 49-YEAR-OLD man has been airlifted to hospital after falling ill while climbing Roseberry Topping.

Emergency services and volunteers from the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team were called into action for the 14th time this year to help a casualty out walking with his family.

The Northern Echo: The emergency callout over the weekend is the fourteenth incident CMRT volunteers have responded to. Picture: CMRTThe emergency callout over the weekend is the fourteenth incident CMRT volunteers have responded to. Picture: CMRT

The man was treated at the scene on Sunday afternoon by a paramedic from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service and personnel from the Great North Air Ambulance.

He was then carried to the waiting aircraft by the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team and flown to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough for treatment.

The emergency services and 16 volunteer rescuers were on the scene for around one hour.

The Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team were also busy on Saturday as they hosted their first major fundraising event of the year – The Cleveland Survival.

More than 300 members of the public from across the country took part in the challenge by walking or running across some of the most rugged areas of the North York Moors on a 15 or 26-mile navigational challenge.

The fastest runner to complete the longest route took just over five hours to complete the course.

Money raised will go towards the voluntary group who operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year, to support injured, lost or vulnerable people in the region with first aid, off-road driving, radio communications, navigation, search techniques and crag rescues.

Members of the team are unpaid for their services and around £25,000 is needed annually to ensure the charity can continue to serve the area.

Last year, volunteers were called out a record number of times to assist with 78 incidents.

  • For more information on the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team or to donate, visit clevelandmrt.org.uk or search for the team on Facebook.