MEMBERS of the Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO) were called out twice on Sunday afternoon - and for one of the rescues were helped out by Royal Marines who happened to be in the area at the time, carrying out winter training.

At just after 1pm, a team responded after a 14 year old girl slipped on her way down from the summit of Whernside and tumbled five or six metres on the steep path towards Bruntscar.

The girl sustained head and possible elbow injuries and after treatment by a team doctor, she was ‘packaged’ and put onto a stretcher to be sledged and carried down to a YAS road ambulance, waiting near Bruntscar.

A CRO spokesperson said: “Our thanks to the Royal Marines who happened to be on the hill. Being prepared for winter walking in the Pennines, they put the casualty into a sleeping bag to keep warm, then assisted in the rescue.”

As team members were back at CRO base in Clapham cleaning equipment, a second call was received at 3.42 pm, this time to help a 13 year old girl who had become separated from her parents while walking in the Ribblehead, Blea Moor area and who had been missing for more than an hour.

Police and CRO organised a search and as the first CRO team, with a search dog, were looking alongside the Settle Carlisle railway, the girl was seen walking towards them.