Those of you who know me won’t be surprised that at the start of April in 2025, I started a new role.

I joined Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) – Cirencester Station - as a volunteer. Our team are ALL volunteers and respond when people go missing and the Police and Fire service need specialist help. It’s not just in the mountains that people need rescue , but across Gloucestershire/Wiltshire fields, forests, quarries riverbanks and valleys. From those living with dementia to someone in crisis, we’re there when the worst might happen — and we work to bring them safely home.

We use specialist equipment like the Bell Tangent Split Stretcher — a £5,000 piece of kit that’s compatible with Air Ambulance, National Police Air Service, and HM Coastguard operations. Because we don’t just turn up. We integrate with professional emergency services to get people home.

But unlike the much bigger lifeboat stations along the Severn, Cirencester Land Search Station runs entirely on local donations. Cirencester is SARA’s newest station — and we’re entirely self-funded. No government grants. No central budget. Everything from our trousers to our vehicles to our training is paid for through local fundraising.

It took the team an extremely long time to fund a second rescue vehicle, a Ford Ranger ‘21 Wildtrak 4x4 (the van in the photo is to attend call-outs and carry additional kit). It’s absolutely essential for getting across rough terrain during callouts. And now, they’re training to become a Swift Water Response Unit, and a Technical Rope Rescue team for the Stroud Valleys, the Forest of Dean, and places like Symonds Yat.

That takes time, dedication… and a lot of kit.

To be ready and safe on the ground, just to start off, people like me need essential uniform: a top of the line All weather jacket, waterproofs, safety and a specialist mountain rescue helmet It adds up to £500 — and that’s before radios or specialist courses etc (we have to buy our own thermal layers, boots, spare kit, rucksack and chest rig, PPE, professional level head torch etc)

So this fundraiser isn’t about buying kit for the sake of it. It’s about helping build a local station into something exceptional. Every pound you give goes toward a community-based emergency service that already saves lives — and with your help, will be able to do even more.

If you can support me — thank you so much.

If you can’t, sharing this still helps raise awareness. Either way, when someone in our area goes missing, we’ll be ready — because you had our backs.