Woman, 79, survives 24 hours in freezing woods

Dec 18 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A WOMAN of 79 survived 24 hours in sub-zero temperatures after going missing from her West Yorkshire home.

Betty Wilkinson was recovering in hospital last night after being treated for hypothermia.

And one of the rescuers from Huddersfield who was called in to try and find her said: “It’s incredible.”

Owen Phillips, a spokesman for the Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team, said: “It was minus 5 degrees yesterday morning when 10 of our team were called in to join the search.

“The old lady had been missing since Thursday lunchtime so it is incredible she survived in that weather.”

Mrs Wilkinson, of Outwood, Wakefield, went missing from her home.

She was found yesterday lunchtime by a dog walker in woods near Lofthouse.

The Holme Valley team included a search dog and they all joined a huge search involving dozens of police officers.