Radio amateur hears girl’s distress signal

An amateur radio enthusiast helped save a girl’s life 70 miles away without leaving his home after hearing her appeals through his set.

Mike Everett intercepted a distress call from a camping party in Exmoor, Devon. A 12-year-old girl suffered an epileptic fit and needed medical help, but none of the campers had a mobile phone signal.

One had brought amateur radio gear and used it to send out the call, which was transferred to Mr Everett’s Bristol home via a transmitter on the Mendip Hills. He called 999, summoning an ambulance to Wimbleball Lake just before 11pm on Friday.