Volunteer Heroes

In 2024, we received a record number of applications. After careful consideration and assessment of available funding, we were delighted to support 44 UK-based volunteer rescue teams through this initiative!

The Antarctic Fire Angels are a pioneering team of female firefighters who made history by skiing 1,230 km from Union Glacier to the South Pole in 2023. This unassisted and unsupported expedition aimed to challenge gender stereotypes and inspire women and girls to pursue their ambitions.

Find out more: https://antarcticfireangels.co.uk/

Lowland Rescue Oxfordshire (OxSAR) is a volunteer team providing 24/7 search and rescue support for missing or vulnerable people across Oxfordshire, fully funded by public donations.

Find out more: https://www.lowlandrescueoxfordshire.org.uk/

The Phoenix Project is a North Wales Fire and Rescue Service initiative offering 5-day courses for young people aged 13–17, focusing on fire safety, teamwork, and personal development to help redirect energy into positive activities.

Find out more: https://www.northwalesfire.gov.wales/keeping-you-safe/our-work-with-young-people/phoenix-project/

Severn Area Rescue Association is a specialist marine and land search rescue service for Gloucestershire, Hereford & Worcestershire, and Gwent.

Find out more: https://www.sara-rescue.org.uk/

Sussex Search & Rescue (SusSAR) is the primary volunteer resource used by Sussex Police to search for vulnerable missing people.

Find out more: https://www.sussar.org.uk/

Bucks Search & Rescue (BSAR) assists Thames Valley Police in locating lost or missing vulnerable persons such as children or the elderly.

Find out more: https://www.bsar.org.uk/

Môn-SAR are a highly trained, dedicated and motivated volunteer lowland search and rescue team that provides emergency services and the community on Ynys Môn/Anglesey with specialist expertise to search for vulnerable missing people – 24/7, 365 days per year.

Find out more: https://m-sar.uk/

Northamptonshire Search and Rescue are a Voluntary group who assist the police to locate missing persons in Northamptonshire.

Find out more: https://www.northantssar.org/

Cheshire Search and Rescue is a team of volunteers, on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  Ready to deploy at any time, in any weather.

The primary function of the team is to assist Cheshire Police with searches for vulnerable missing people. But the team also has capability for flood response, evidence searching and assisting other emergency services as the need arises.

Find out more: www.cheshire-sarteam.org/

Kent Search and Rescue is a charitable organisation dedicated to assisting the emergency services in the search for and rescue of vulnerable missing persons.

Find out more: www.ksar.co.uk/

K9 Search and Rescue (NI) are a professional all-volunteer canine Search and Rescue team specialising in providing certified area search (live victim) and Victim Recovery canines for coastal, urban, rural and disaster response in Northern Ireland

Find out more: https://www.k9searchandrescueni.org/

York Rescue Boat is an independent lifeboat and search and rescue team based in York, North Yorkshire.

FInd out more: https://www.yorkrescueboat.com/

West Mercia Search and Rescue is the official Lowland Rescue unit for the West Mercia Police area, operating as part of the UK’s rescue structure alongside Mountain Rescue, the Coastguard, RNLI and Lifeguards.

Find out more: https://westmerciasar.org.uk/

Aviation Fire and Rescue Service provides cover for heritage sites and events based around in the south of England. The team is made up of Volunteers trained to national and/or Aviation and Domestic Firefighter standards.

Find out more: https://aviationfrs.co.uk/

The IRC is on the ground in Poland, working with local partners in Poland and Ukraine, to quickly mobilise resources that will provide life-saving support to civilians forced to flee their homes.

Find out more: https://www.rescue.org/uk/article/how-can-i-help-ukraine

The largest representative body for Ukrainians in the UK, which has so far raised more than £1.1m, which will help fund medicine, food and other essentials for those in need.

Find out more: https://www.augb.co.uk/

The Poppy Appeal is the Royal British Legion’s annual fundraising campaign held every November, raising vital funds to support the Armed Forces community, including veterans and their families.

Find out more: https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise-for-us/poppy-appeal

The RLSS are the UK’s leading provider of water safety and drowning prevention education. Built on years of experience the RLSS boast a strong force of loyal members and volunteers who work with us to promote water safety and educate in life saving skills.

Find out more: www.rlss.org.uk

Friends of WSART are a charity that works to provide and raise funds to help support the Water Search and Rescue Teams around the UK.

Find out more: fowsart.org.uk

North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team cover the whole of the Northumbria police force area and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The team is a charity, run entirely by volunteers and reliant upon kind donations from the public to keep us operational.

Find out more: www.notmrt.org.uk

Kent Search and Rescue is a charitable organisation dedicated to assisting the emergency services in the search for and rescue of vulnerable missing persons.

Find out more: www.ksar.co.uk/

Probably the smallest Surf Lifesaving Club in the world. Operating out of the lifeguard hut on Sker beach (South Wales) providing water safety, first aid + information to the public, mostly on weekends throughout the summer.

The Club provides water safety, first aid, information and advice to the public at Sker beach. As the most westerly beach in Bridgend its location makes it remote and only accessible on foot or horseback.

Find out More: Kinfigsands

Formed in 1967 to represent and support its members at National and International level, promote the exchange of information between member rescue organisations and provide a common voice for them. The BCRC is a coordinating and not a governing body, the individual cave rescue organisations remain entirely autonomous and independent.

Find out more: www.caverescue.org.uk/

Cheshire Search and Rescue is a team of volunteers, on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  Ready to deploy at any time, in any weather.

The primary function of the team is to assist Cheshire Police with searches for vulnerable missing people. But the team also has capability for flood response, evidence searching and assisting other emergency services as the need arises.

Find out more: www.cheshire-sarteam.org/

Merseyside Search and Rescue Team is currently a probationary Lowland Rescue Team providing Merseyside Police with specialist search teams and equipment to assist in locating high risk, vulnerable, missing persons within Merseyside. In addition to which MerSAR can be called upon at any time to assists other Lowland Rescue teams in other counties.

Find out more: www.mersar.org.uk/

The Civil Aid Voluntary Rescue Association (C.A.V.R.A.) is a voluntary search and rescue organisation / registered charity, operating within South Wales and surrounding areas.

They are part of the Local, Regional and National Flood Response and are a DEFRA approved Flood Rescue Team (B122). Their purpose is to provide fully trained Back-up personnel to the Official Emergency Services in a range of situations, Including Searches for Missing Persons, Support at Public Events, During times of Adverse Weather Conditions and Natural Disasters (FLOODS, SNOW, Droughts and Heatwaves), and during Civil Emergencies

Find out more: www.cavra.org.uk/

SWLLC is a professional and successful voluntary organisation primarily based at Pershore leisure centre. This organisation is involved in all areas of lifesaving from teaching drowning prevention techniques to National Search and Rescue operations.

South Worcester Lifesaving and Lifeguard Club is a friendly and successful voluntary club based at Pershore Leisure Centre

Find out more: www.swlifeguards.co.uk/

Merseyside Water Rescue currently operates in and around Liverpool South Docks, providing Safety and Education for those near the water.

Visit on Facebook HERE

Lancaster Area Search & Rescue (LASAR) is a specialist SLSGB (Surf Lifesaving GB) affiliated flood rescue team based in Lancaster, Lancashire.

Visit on Facebook HERE

Oxfordshire SAR members are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. OxSAR is a full member of Lowland Rescue and are directly called out by Thames Valley Police.

In addition to serving vulnerable missing people in Oxfordshire, OxSAR are frequently requested to assist other Lowland Rescue teams all over the country.

Find out more: www.oxsar.org.uk/

Aberdyfi Search & Rescue Team provide a Search and Rescue service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in wild and remote locations throughout South Snowdonia and Mid Wales. Aberdyfi SaRT is made up of a dedicated team of volunteers and entirely funded by charitable donations.

Find out more: www.aberdyfi-sart.org.uk/

A team of 12 volunteers you are responsible for water rescue scenarios such as persons stuck in flood water, they also provide welfare and medical assistance to those trapped in their homes during flooding.

Find out more on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/sussexfloodrescue/

From its historic Watch House headquarters on the South Pier of the Tyne Harbour, South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade provides a 24-hour coastal search and rescue back-up in conjunction with HM Coastguard.

South Shields VLB provide a shore based search and rescue service to HM Coastguard. They work along side the Auxillary Coastguard, RNLI , Search and Recue Helicopter and the other VLB units in Tynemouth and Sunderland.

They are also called on by HM Coastguard to carry out searches of the coast for missing people and for rope rescue.

Find out more: www.ssvlb.org.uk/

A team of more than 60, LONSAR is a charity that receives no government funding. Members make themselves available 24 hours a Day, 7 Days a Week and 365 Days a Year, with volunteer members spread throughout London and sometimes beyond.

They provide marshals for treks and cycling events (in particular British Heart Foundation events) and for community events in London in return for donations from the organisers.  The team aims to become fully operational on call with the Metropolitan Police in January 2019.

Find out more: www.londonsar.com/

Serve On are a charitable organisation, with a group of 90 (and growing) volunteers who provide help to our local and international communities during times of crisis.

Volunteers include many ex-category one responders from the fire, police, ambulance service and RNLI, ex military personal, mechanics, IT specialists, outdoor specialists etc.

They focus on three main areas: International Disaster Response Team (IRT), Community Resilience Teams (CRT) and the dog rescue team.

FInd out more: www.serveon.org.uk

Surf Life Saving GB is a charity of 7,000 volunteers helping to make our beaches safer and more enjoyable places for everyone. SLSGB volunteers have been providing beach lifeguard training and patrolling the coast for more than 55 years. SLSGB clubs are nationwide, training members aged from five years upwards in beach education, lifesaving, rescue and fitness skills, helping create fitter and safer communities by the sea.

SLSGB has a strategic partnership with the RNLI and SLSGB volunteers work closely with RNLI Beach Lifeguards providing a joint lifeguard service and beach patrol.

Find out more: www.slsgb.org.uk

The Team at Central Beacons is one of the busiest mountain rescue teams in the UK, responding to more than 140 calls in 2017. In November, they suffered a terrible fire at their base, which tore through the building destroying all of their rescue equipment and 2 of the 3 vehicles. The building was so badly damaged that when cleared, all that was left were the standing walls which need to be bleached with acid before re-building work can commence.

Currently the team is borrowing equipment from nearby teams, using their own cars and mobile phones for operations. For more serious incidents, other mountain rescue teams are having to travel to cover their area to help.

Whilst insurance will cover the re-development of the base, the two written-off vehicles (a Land Rover and the Iveco Control Truck) are both 14 years old so the insurance payment will be minimal and it will cost in excess of £120,000 to replace them.  In total, it has been estimated that the team need to raise in the region of  £250,000.

We hope our £5,000 donation goes some way to supporting the team to continue their vital work.

If you wish to support the team at Central Beacons Mountain Rescue, visit their just giving page www.justgiving.com/centralbeaconsmrt