A MAN has praised 'wonderful care’ he received from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) following a serious fall from the side of a mountain in the Lake District.

John Hughes, 76, from Cambridge, was enjoying a holiday in the Borrowdale Valley, Keswick, with his wife Jo back in June of this year when the accident happened.

Mr Hughes said: “My wife and I rented a cottage in Seathwaite. We got there on a Friday and we did our first walk on Saturday morning.

“We love the lakes and always take our black Labrador Juno with us.”

The retiree recalls it being a lovely morning and was taking the lead on the walk with Mrs Hughes following behind as the path was narrow.

Mr Hughes said: “I was looking for a way across the river and it seemed that the path had disappeared, so I turned around to walk back but lost my footing.

“I rolled about 5 metres and then dropped from the edge and fell onto the rocks below which must have been around a 6-metre drop.

“Jo was able to find a safe way to where I had fallen. She told me later that I was bleeding heavily. We didn’t have a phone signal, so she took her jacket off and wrapped it around me and went to look for help”

Luckily for the pair, Mrs Hughes met a group of walkers, two of whom were medics and were doing the same walk so came to help.

Other members of the group walked for an hour to the nearest village to call the Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team (MRT).

Mr Hughes said: “The medics were keen to keep me conscious. One of the doctors said I had definitely broken a few ribs.

“Several hours later the MRT arrived as well as a couple of local people who brought blankets.

“That’s when I heard the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) helicopter.”

Mr Hughes said: “GNAAS and MRT actually waded through the river while carrying me to get me to the helicopter safely.”

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Mr Hughes recalls immediately feeling at ease on seeing GNAAS’ critical care team. The 76-year-old was checked over by the critical care team before being moved to the aircraft.

Mr Hughes said: “I was flown to Preston Hospital where the main concern was my neck. They found that I had cracked vertebrae and that all my ribs down my right side were broken.

"I also had a nasty cut to the head which explains why there was so much blood.”

He added said: “GNAAS and the MRT were very caring and demonstrated great professionalism working in the most difficult of circumstances. I received wonderful care.”

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