Ms Hammond is supervisor for DoE Gold group. She was in Dolgellau and her group were camping at Llyn y Gader. Group contacted her to report lights on a bearing consistent with the summit plateau. The lights were reported as being rythmic 3 long 3 short, but she had not heard back from the group to report further sightings. She was reassured that it was worth contacting the police, and to recontact them should her group see other signs such as shouting or whistle blowing.

Given our understanding that a group was camping at the summit, and that the summit has a reasonable phone signal, we believed the DoE group had seen torch-light from the higher campsite, and that the call was a false alarm with good intention.

At around 2.00 p.m. the Team was called to assist a woman with an injured finger on Cadair Idris. 

The 54 year old woman from Surrey had slipped and sustained open fracture of her left forefinger. Passers-by controlled bleeding and bandaged the wound, and then helped the lady walk down the Pony path where they were met by a party of Team volunteers. The casualty appeared drowsy and unwell, and nn further assessment of the injury, the finger was found to have lost some or all circulation beyond the break; a situation that could lead to the permanent loss of finger tissue. With the potentially serious nature of the circumstances, it was decided to request an airlift by the Coastguard helicopter Rescue936.

​The casualty was flown to Ysbyty Gwynedd for further assessment and treatment. Everyone was safely off the hill by 5:00 p.m. 

​At around 10:00 a.m. the Team was requested to assist Dyfed Powys Police and the Welsh Ambulance Service in the recovery of the body found on a hillside overlooking the town of Machynlleth. The casualty was stretchered off the high ground and handed over to a waiting undertaker.  Our best wishes and sympathies go out to the friends and family of the deceased.

At around 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday 9th Aug, the Team was made aware of a woman with an ankle injury on Cader Idris

The 49 year old woman, part of a family group of four, was initially reported as being at Llyn y Gader to the north of the mountain, but the way in which the distress call was received led the Team call-handler to doubt this, and in conversation with the casualty party it became apparent that they were infact on the banks of Llyn Cau to the south.

A party of Team volunteers was dispatched up the mountain, and owing to the difficult nature of the terrain, assistance was requested from the Coastguard helicopter R936. The casualty party was indeed at Llyn Cau, and the woman was uplifted by helicopter for further assessment and treatment at Bronglais hospital. The remaining members of the party were escorted off the hill by Team volunteers, and everyone was safely off the mountain by 6:30 p.m.

The Team became suspicious about the accuracy of the given location because the distress call was picked up by Dyfed Powys Police rather than North Wales Police, and through experience it has been observed that this only tends to happen with people to the south of the ridge line. Local knowledge is a valuable asset.

Through the success of the social media campaign, along with the efforts of Bjarya's owners at Minffordd car park and that of Team volunteers on the hill, there were few people on the mountain who did not know of the missing dog. At around 12:45 a dog matching the description was spotted running loose near the summit, and was secured by a member of the public. The dog, a bit bumped and bruised but otherwise lively, was handed over to Team members who brought her off the mountain, and reunited her with her relieved owners. ​

Shortly before 4:00 p.m. on Sunday 6th August the Team was notified by the manager of Cader Tea rooms of a dog "stuck in a precarious position" on Cader Idris. The dog's owners had gone to the carpark to get dry and so with no further information available, the team was called out.

The dog Bjarya, belonging to a Belgian couple, had been lost between the summit of Penygader and Pencoed on the southern ridge of the mountain. Barking and howling could be heard from above the ridge and within the Cwm around Llyn Cau, but with visibility down to 50m at times, and with very poor conditions of wind and rain, they had been unable to pinpoint the dog's location.

In continuingly poor conditions, Team volunteers made their way to Llyn Cau with a view to trying to locate the direction of any calls from the dog, and therefore start to identify likely locations. The team also pushed up the stone chute to just below where the dog was last seen. No conclusive sounds or sights were detected.

The owners were briefed of the situation and encouraged to talk to walkers heading up the mountain the following morning. They were reassured that with an indication of location, the Team would be happy to return and assist. Everyone was safely off the mountain by 9:00 p.m.

A social media appeal on the Team pages to raise awareness of the missing dog reached more than 60k people overnight.

At around 8:00 p.m on Wed 2nd August, call handlers from Aberdyfi Search & Rescue Team were made aware of a 16 year old youth with an injured knee on Cader Idris.

The youth was part of a group of 17 on the mountain, and the party had helped walk him off as much as possible but were struggling when the path became steep and narrow. 

Given the age of the casualty and fast approaching darkness it was decided to request assistance from the coastguard helicopter, Rescue 936, but with the changeable cloudbase throwing a question-mark over the ability of the aircraft to reach the casualty, groups of Team volunteers also set off up the mountain via the Minffordd path. 

About 500m up the path Team members encountered the casualty who had been carried by his party. Given the wooded nature of this part of the trail, the helicopter would have been unable to assist and so was stood down. The casualty was loaded into a stretcher and carried down the steep steps to the bottom of the Minffordd path where he was further assessed by the Team Doctor. 

​With the group planning to keep an eye on the casualty's condition overnight and getting him checked over at Hospital in the morning, the party were transported to their nearby campsite. Everyone was safely off the mountain and heading home by 10:40 p.m.

Just before midday on Tues 1st Aug, Aberdyfi Search & Rescue Team was requested to assist our neighbouring team, South Snowdonia Search and Rescue Team, with the rescue of an injured woman from the Precipice Walk near Dolgellau.

The 62 year old woman from Utrecht in the Netherlands was part of a walking holiday group having an easy day on the popular and almost flat route. She slipped on a wet and greasy rock on the path and landed heavily on her hip. On trying to stand, she experienced great pain and was unable to stand.

Given the potentially serious consequences of a pelvic or upper leg fracture, the Coastguard helicopter was requested to assist, and arrived on scene around 10 minutes after the first mountain rescue volunteers had reached the casualty. Having been quickly assessed and provided with pain relief, the lady was lifted onto a stretcher and winched aboard the helicopter for hospital based assessment and treatment at Ysbyty Gwynedd.

Aberdyfi volunteer Graham O'Hanlon was at the casualty site. "The lady was fit, suitably dressed for the mountain environment, and within a well organised group. It just goes to show that even with the best preparation, accidents can still occur."