A number of items for our safety had to be carried whilst we were cycling. This was to make sure that if anything did go wrong we would be well prepared. The team had to know what items to take and why we needed to carry them.

If going into adventurous countryside it was necessary to have a correctly completed Route Plan and a blank Emergency Card.

An Emergency Card is used in case of an accident and is written out in duplicate at the scene of the incident. It has important information about the team, name of the person(s) involved in an accident and the nature of any suspected injuries. This is the reason for there to be a minimum of four persons in a group when going on a hike on the moors, hills and mountains.

On all the expeditions we had to carry survival bags or blankets, a personal first aid kit and one member had to carry the Team first aid kit. It was essential that we made sure that we had all these items and that our personal first aid kits and the Team first aid kit were properly stocked.

An essential part of our training was first aid, because if an incident did happen then we would know what to do. We learnt, several times, the procedure in case of an accident and it was made clear that the emergency services should only be called after all attempts at self help had been exhausted.

All our equipment was more than adequate for such an expedition. Our personal kit and clothing also had to be good enough for any bad weather conditions in the hills. What is more we had to know how to cope and deal with all possible circumstances. A survival kit (for 24 hours) was also carried by one member of the team.

This is the Emergency Card that we took with us. This illustration shows both sides of the Card.