At around 8:20 p.m. on Thursday 30th June, call-handlers from Aberdyfi Search & Rescue Team were made aware of a vulnerable adult missing from a residential center in the Dolgellau area.

​The 49 year old male with severe learning disabilities had disappeared at around 6 p.m., heading out into heavy rain with neither shoes or a jacket. Preliminary searches of the buildings and grounds by staff and subsequently North Wales Police Officers had failed to locate the man, and a request was made for the Team to help develop the search of the grounds and surrounding areas.

Using search statistics to help refine the scope of the operation, the immediate focus was on the areas close to the place where the man was last seen. Because of the poor weather conditions, both the Police and Coast Guard were unable to provide air support, so the task fell to ground teams alone. The search by Police officers and around 20 Aberdyfi members was joined by members of Barmouth and Aberdyfi Coast Guard units and Dolgellau Fire Service who brought along thermal imaging equipment to try and detect the man in the overgrown search areas. The South Snowdonia, Aberglaslyn and RAF Mountain rescue teams were put on standby to join the search at first light.

Shortly after midnight two SARDA Wales search dog teams arrived on site and joined the rescue effort. Search dog Izzie began sweeping steep ground adjacent to the main buildings while Boris, who is trained to follow the missing person's scent, started working from the man's last known position. For several hours, neither dog could find evidence that the man had left the immediate vicinity of the house, but at around 3:00 a.m. Boris picked up a scent leading up onto the hillside. Shortly afterwards the dog-handlers found the missing man, cold, wet and a little battered by his experience, about a kilometer up the track.

The casualty site was quickly accessed by a Team Landrover and shortly before 4:00 a.m.the man was driven back to the center to be checked over by a waiting ambulance crew, and all search parties were stood down.

At around 1:20 p.m. call handlers from the Team were made aware of a request from the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust (WAST) to assist in dealing with an injured motorcyclist. Conflicting reports about the casualty's location (which also fell into the operating regions of other Teams) meant that the Ogwen Valley and South Snowdonia Teams were already out eliminating some of the suggested positions. As Aberdyfi volunteers made their way to join the incident, they were informed that WAST had treated the casualty, and the Team was stood down.

Just after 10:00 p.m., the Team was again contacted in regard to overdue walkers on Cader Idris. The 3 men were taking part in a Welsh 3-peaks attempt, and had completed Snowdon, but had failed to check in by phone having started on Cader Idris. While a Team call-handler discussed options with North Wales Police, they conducted a search of automatic number plate recognition files. The car was logged as being in the Brecon area, in the vicinity of the final peak, Pen y Fan. As such the incident was transferred to the Brecon Teams, and Aberdyfi was stood down.

​At around 9:30 p.m. on Tues 21st June, call handlers from Aberdyfi Search & Rescue Team were made aware of a sheep-dog trapped on a narrow ledge on the fringes of Cader Idris.

The dog, Tim, had been helping bring a small flock of sheep down off the mountain, but on reaching the gate to the farm gate the Shepherd found that the dog was missing. A long search of the bracken-covered hillside ensued, and Tim was eventually located on a narrow ledge on the vertical sides  of a small river gully.

Given the late hour and failing light, the difficult decision was made that, for the safety of Team volunteers, the rescue attempt would be held-off until the following morning. 

Many of those involved, from the owner through to every dog-owning Team member and beyond, had a restless night thinking of Tim on his ledge, and were keen to get up the hill the following morning. In less than perfect weather, the Team set about rigging a rope-rescue system, and a rescuer was lowered down to Tim's position.

Tim, having presumably spent a fairly unpleasant evening on the tiniest of ledges, was not overly welcoming to the stranger in the red-jacket dangling down before him, but with a bit of time and patience he was won over enough to be fitted into a harness and loaded into the stock-bag for lifting back up the crag where he was reunited with his owner.

Team Member Graham O'Hanlon attended the rescue. "We as a Team rely on the support and forbearance of our farming community to get on with the task of rescues, so it is always good when we can return the favour. We use this particular farm as a training venue from time to time, so it makes it especially nice to be able to help them out."