Chopper rescue for woman who broke ankle trying to tackle Cerne Abbas Giant

A middle-aged woman who wanted a close up glimpse of the Cerne Abbas, the naked figure cut out of the side of a Dorset hill, had to be rescued by helicopter after breaking her ankle. The 53-year-old was hiking up the steep slope of the ancient landmark, complete with exposed genitalia, when she stumbled and was unable to walk back down.

Her friends called for an ambulance but the hill was too steep to drive up and for the air ambulance to land. But Portland Coastguard helicopter rescue came to her aid and winched a man down to collect her on a stretcher.



A spokesman for Portland Coastguard said that the helicopter crew then lifted the victim a few feet off the ground and together with the winchman, flew to level ground at the foot of the hill and gently landed her alongside the waiting paramedics. 'She was then taken to hospital by land ambulance to have her broken ankle attended to by doctors,' added the spokesman.

'It was one of our more unusual rescues.' The Cerne Abbas giant is a very popular destination for holidaymakers.' Cerne Abbas giant is Britain's most famous fertility symbol. The iconic club-wilding figure emblazoned on a hillside near Dorchester was carved into the grass at least 400 years ago. The giant, owned by the National Trust, is thought by many to be an Iron Age fertility symbol.