Funding boost allows rescue organisation to carry out upgrades at Worcestershire site
The Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) has been able to purchase new medical equipment and expand its volunteer base in the county thanks to it
A rescue organisation which provides specialist emergency response across water and land has said funding has helped it to carry out a range of improvements at its place in Worcestershire.
The Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) operates seven lifeboat search and rescue stations, with one of them being situated in the Wyre Forest region.
Support from Worcestershire County Council’s public health community grant programme has allowed it to purchase new medical kits and upgrade existing equipment at its site at Kidderminster fire station.
Alongside that, it's also been able to expand its volunteer base so it can recruit additional volunteers and give more chances to existing members to access further training.
Councillor Alan Bailes, who's Worcestershire County Council's cabinet member for health and wellbeing, recently went to see the team to hand over the equipment and hear more about the type of work they do.
Following it, he said: "It was great to visit Severn Area Rescue Association and see first-hand the incredible work their volunteers do to keep people safe across Worcestershire and beyond.
"This funding has helped provide new equipment and training opportunities that will support their work and help them continue responding when communities need them most.
I really enjoyed meeting members of the team, hearing about their experiences, and learning more about what motivates them to volunteer their time and skills. We'd like to thank them for everything they do for our residents, especially during what has been a particularly busy summer."
SARA Wyre Forest general manager, Ian Lofthouse, added: "We were delighted to host a visit from Alan Bailes and Nathan Hazlehurst from Worcestershire County Council to formally hand over our new and expanded medical equipment, their visit gave us the chance to demonstrate the work that our volunteers in SARA perform.
"This timely injection of funds has enabled us to modernise our training and operational equipment, providing a real boost to the crews' morale, not to mention operational effectiveness and our ability to train more volunteers to save lives in the community."