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2025-12-31-accounts

Severn Area Rescue Association Annual Report and Accounts 2025

Multi-Disciplinary Volunteer Search and Rescue Team with Fifty Years of Lifeboat Service on the River Severn

Registered Charity CIO 1193634

Page 1

FOREWORD

I am pleased to report that 2025 has been a steady and productive year for Severn Area Rescue Association, with 112 operations carried out across land search, lifeboat, inland water, flood response, and rope rescue disciplines. These figures reflect not only the continued demand for SARA’s services, but also the breadth of capability now delivered by its volunteers. Flooding remains an ever-present and destructive threat to communities along the Severn and beyond, and SARA’s readiness to respond is as vital today as it has been since the organisation’s foundation.

Operational capability has been further strengthened this year with the successful introduction of the new Incident Command Unit (South). This vehicle has already had a significant impact on the efficiency and coordination of operations, and its value has been clearly recognised by partner emergency services. I would like to extend particular thanks to Kathy Donaldson and her team for the enormous effort involved in its development, conversion and deployment. Alongside this, I am encouraged by continued investment in people, with new team and search party leaders, helms and instructors being developed, and new operational and auxiliary members joining the organisation and being trained, ensuring experience is matched by a strong pipeline of new talent.

Considerable progress has also been made in developing SARA’s future capabilities. I was particularly delighted to see SARA enhance its flood rescue resilience through the development of a dedicated team of MOD2 Flood First Responders in the Cotswolds, providing valuable support both locally and to neighbouring stations and agencies. As flooding events become more frequent and severe, this capability is of great importance to the communities SARA serves.

I am also delighted to see the continued development of the SARA Dog Unit during 2025. I am proud that the Bathurst Estate have been able to support this work by providing training environments to support the team’s development. The emergence of both land and water search dog capabilities represents an incredibly exciting step forward for SARA.

The organisation itself has continued to evolve. The revised executive arrangements agreed at the 2025 AGM are now firmly in place and operating successfully, providing a structure well suited to the scale and diversity of SARA’s activities.

My husband and I are once again proud to host the annual SARA Trail Run in Cirencester Park and to support training exercises across the Estate. Fundraising events such as these remain essential, not only in sustaining SARA financially, but also in strengthening the connection between volunteers and the communities they serve, and I would like to thank all who fundraise, and indeed donate towards this essential mission.

Finally, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to all members, operational, auxiliary and trainees for the extraordinary commitment you give week in and week out. You devote your time, skill and energy as volunteers, without expectation of reward, and the service you collectively provide is truly something to be proud of.

The Rt. Hon. The Countess Bathurst

Page 2

In 2025, SARA volunteers attended 112 separate operations:

Page 3

Contents

Contents
Page No.
Reference & Administrative Details 5
Objectives and Achievements 5
Structure, Governance and Management 6
SARA Overview & Brief History 7
Chair of Trustees Report 10
CEO Report 12
Fundraising 18
Review of Risks 18
Reserves Strategy 18
Financial Review 21
Independent Examiner’s Report 23
Financial Statements 24
Notes to the Financial Statements 26
Appendix A: SARA’s Operational Role and Tasks 39
Appendix B: 1-Page Summary of SARA Capabilities 43

Page 4

Reference and Administrative Details

The Severn Area Rescue Association is the largest independent multi-disciplinary volunteer search and rescue team in the UK. It is also the largest independent lifeboat service in the UK, second only to the RNLI, with 14 operational boats, of which five are declared lifeboats, and approximately 250 personnel.

Registered Charity CIO Number 1193634 Registered Address The Lifeboat Station, Beachley, Chepstow, NP16 7HH Independent Accounts Examiner Helen Tinsley FCCA , Azets, Wolverhampton Bankers Lloyds Bank Plc

Objectives

The objects of the Association, as stated in its Constitution are:

  1. The protection of life and property by the provision and maintenance of a rescue service (incorporating both marine operations and land operations) with, in particular, specialist skills in swiftwater / flood, land search, lifeboats, rescue boats, marine rescue and cliff rescue;

  2. To assist Government Departments and Agencies and County and Local Authorities in their provision of emergency services; and

  3. To advance public education in outdoor safety, particularly in and around water.

The Association is non-profit making, and financed by voluntary contributions, grants from any public or private organisations, and any such fundraising activities or commercial arrangements as the Executive Committee recommends to the Trustees.

The Achievement of the Objects of the Charity

The strategy and policies followed by the Board, Executive and Senior Leadership Team during the course of 2025 have met the objects of the Charity in the following ways:

The Trustees have given due regard to the guidance from the Charity Commission on public benefit and consulted with the emergency services across the relevant area, and are satisfied that the objectives and activities of SARA provide a public benefit.

Page 5

Structure, Governance and Management

SARA is governed by its Constitution. Certain ‘non-executive’ powers are reserved for the Board of Trustees with specific powers delegated to the Executive. The Trustees have final overall legal responsibility for the organisation and its governance. Non-Executive Trustees serve for a term of three years, being appointed at the Annual General Meeting; the CEO, Deputy CEO and the CFO are ex-officio Trustees.

The Trustees of the CIO in the year were:

Keith Beckett (Chair of Trustees) Mark Carwardine (Chief Executive Officer) Judith Harvey Gareth Raymond Ian Morgan (to March 2025) Shaun Egan (Deputy CEO) Richard Newhouse (CFO, to March 2025) Chris Burgess (CFO, from March 2025)

Until March 2025 the Executive Committee was responsible to the Trustees for running the Association. At the March AGM, this structure was replaced with a Senior Leadership Team (‘SLT’), which is now responsible to the Trustees for the overall running of the association in relation to all financial, safety, legal and operational matters. Its members during the year from March were:

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Carwardine Deputy CEO Shaun Egan Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Chris Burgess General Executive Officer David Hill Chief Operating Officer Dave Palmer Director of Rescue Operations Richard Dainty Director of Training Jordan Stevens Fundraising Officer vacancy Association Secretary Sally Holloway

Additional technical and specialist managers were co-opted at the Executive level being:

Executive Land Search Manager John Dutton to Mar 25, thence Ian Roberts
Executive Rope Rescue Officer Andy Torbet
Executive Inland Water Officer Matt Davies
Medical Officer Dr Jon Dallimore
Wellbeing Officer Martin Holloway
Communications Equipment Manager Chris Thornton
PR Officer Richard Newhouse

The Committees for the Beachley, Newport, Tewkesbury, Sharpness, Upton, Cotswolds and Wyre Forest Rescue Stations, led by a General Manager are responsible for the day-to-day running of their respective Station.

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The Operations of the Charity

SARA’s Mission Statement is:

To protect life and property through the provision of a professionally trained, specialist rescue service for marine, flood and land search incidents

The principal area of marine operations comprises the Bristol Channel and the Severn, Wye, Avon, and Usk rivers. Typical situations involved vessels suffering breakdown or damage by grounding, becoming lost in severely restricted visibility - a particularly dangerous situation in the tidal Severn - and searching for missing people. As a Lifeboat Organisation, SARA complies with the Rescue Boat Code of Practice (RBCP) and is a founder member of the National Independent Lifeboat Association (NILA).

Inland operations extend to the West of England and the Midlands and South-East Wales. SARA is an Associate Member of Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW) and is part of the South West England Rescue Association (SWERA). SARA’s technical and flood rescue standards are assured by qualifications from Rescue3Europe, which comply with national standards

SARA works closely with the statutory emergency services – Police, Fire & Rescue and Ambulance Services, likewise HM Coastguard – also with neighbouring and related volunteer rescue organisations. These particularly include the RNLI at Portishead, Penarth and Barry, the Coastguard helicopter based at St Athan, Longtown Mountain Rescue Team and the South Wales Search and Rescue Dogs Association (SARDA(SW)), to name just a few. There is a strong mutual relationship with Gloucester Cave Rescue (GCRG) whose members often participate in land search operations as integrated search party members. Further details of SARA’s operational roles are provided in the Annex.

----- Start of picture text -----
Wyre Forest
(Kidderminster)
Worcestershire
Herefordshire Upton
Tewkesbury
S Gloucester
(Sub Station of Sharpness)
Gloucestershire
Gwent &
Monmouthshire Cotswolds
Sharpness (Cirencester)
Newport
Beachley
(Chepstow)
----- End of picture text -----

The SARA Rescue Stations

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Why SARA? A Short History!

The inaugural meeting to form the organisation which became SARA was held in 1973, and the charity was formally created in 1976, as ‘The Severn Auxiliary Rescue Association’, auxiliary to the Coastguard. Its headquarters were at Tutshill - near the current Beachley station. At this time the RNLI did not cover river estuaries, such as the River Severn. There was felt to be a need for rescue organisation responsible for this hazardous stretch of river, particularly following the closure of the Aust Ferry after the opening of the Severn Bridge in 1966. In 1985 SARA also became an official Mountain Rescue Team in the role of Cliff Rescue for the Wye Valley, and SARA Beachley Rescue Station was designated as a ‘Mountain Rescue Post’.

In 1986 a second station was opened at Sharpness, primarily in response to a tragic loss of life in the Sharpness area and the name of the organisation was amended to what it is today. A station was opened at Wyre Forest in 2004, to cover the upper Severn area. In 2014 Wyre Forest Station moved into the Fire Station at Kidderminster, under a co-hosting arrangement, and in early 2021 moved again into the new Kidderminster Tri-Service ‘Emergency Hub’ Station.

In 2011, following major flooding, a Joint 'Water Rescue Centre' opened in Tewkesbury, as a strategic alliance between Gloucester Fire & Rescue Service, SARA and Gloucestershire County Council, and the new SARA Tewkesbury Station became SARA’s fourth.

For many years, emergencies in Newport were attended to by crew from SARA Beachley. In 2014 an equipment hub was placed in Newport, and in 2015 a base was established at Malpas Fire Station. Following a major bequest, new boats were purchased in 2016 and the Newport Lifeboat Station was established, within the Malpas Fire Station, becoming independent from Beachley in 2019.

The small independent ‘Water Emergency Incident Response’ (WEIR) team at Upton-upon-Severn elected in 2019 to merge with SARA, forming SARA Upton Station in 2020. SARA’s seventh station SARA Cotswolds, based at Cirencester Fire Station, was established in mid-2021 to provide a base in eastern Gloucestershire, initially for land search and now extended to rope and flood response.

In January 2021 the SARA Charity (#505504) transitioned to become a Charitable Incorporated organisation (CIO). The management of the organisation transitioned during 2025 to formalising a small ‘Senior Leadership Team’ to manage the routine running of the association on behalf of the Board.

Page 8

Training in Flood Rescue, in the River Wye in Chepstow in April

The same boat, being used to evacuate residents to safety in flooded Monmouth in November

Page 9

Chair of Trustees’ Report

SARA has had another incredibly successful year in 2025, delivering much needed and appreciated lifesaving services to our local community.

After the AGM in 2025, I was delighted and proud to be able to serve for a further term as your Chair of Trustees. On behalf of myself, and all the Board of Trustees, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of SARA for the incredible dedication, professionalism and sheer hard work that adds up to make SARA so effective and well respected.

In what has been a challenging economic environment for the Charity Sector, SARA has remained healthy and resilient financially; largely thanks to the work of all of those that put the time and effort into our fundraising activities. The Board has reviewed our Reserves strategy and continues to support the operation of a Major Asset Replacement Fund that ensures that we are looking ahead and preparing for future outlay.

2025 has also been a year of bringing our Strategy to life, and of making improvements to our executive management structure. These changes are improving our effectiveness as an organisation, and making the very best use of the time that our volunteers can give to the myriad of tasks required to run SARA successfully. The Board also continue to champion strongly our 'Members Code', represented by the acronym SEARCH: Safety, Equality, Attitude, Respect, Care, and Honesty. It serves us well and is a constant reminder of the underpinning attributes that make us successful as an organisation staffed wholly by volunteers.

I very much look forward to what we can achieve together in 2026 as we continue to support the statutory lifesaving authorities and provide a vital service to the public.

Keith Beckett CBE FREng Chair of Board of Trustees

Page 10

Sharpness’ SARA Lifeboat 4 at Speed

Some recently qualified members of Beachley’s Land Search Team

Page 11

CEO Report on 2025

As I write this at the start of 2026, our teams have not long concluded two searches which I feel demonstrate what we stand for. At both Tewkesbury and Cwmbran, we had been called out to reliable reports of someone sadly entering a river and then disappearing from sight. At the time of the incident and then for many days following, teams from across SARA were involved in searching for these two people. This period was characterised by significant rainfall, so the rivers rose and fell dramatically, and the searching was difficult and hazardous. Nevertheless, our teams persevered, working closely with the police and other emergency services.

Both were eventually brought to their sad conclusion - in the Cwmbran case on the 10th detailed search - thus enabling the families to have some closure. I am very grateful to the SARA volunteers, and their families, for their commitment in these operations and all of the others throughout the year.

For me the early part of the year was dominated by the organisational changes. After many years, and some long discussions, we decided to move away from having an executive committee comprising all the officers, which had reached around 25 in total. As proposed to and agreed at the March AGM we now have a much smaller ‘Senior Leadership Team’ (SLT) which runs the association. This has included creating new roles responsible for our Rescue Operations, our Training and for our general Operations. I was also delighted to on-board Chris Burgess as CFO. He joined us with considerable business experience, and has quickly found his way into our organisation and is making a significant contribution

SARA is a member of both MREW and NILA. Our membership of MREW is as an associate member, since the MREW transitioned to being a CIO in 2019. We remain keen to regain full member status and to increase the knowledge of SARA within MREW. To that end we hosted a visit from their Chief Executive Mike Park MBE in June. Following good feedback from the visit and some other conversations, we submitted a formal application for full membership in November. At the time of writing this application is pending consideration.

Deputy CEO Shaun Egan (centre) representing NILA at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Search and Rescue

Page 12

Shaun Egan, our deputy CEO, was accepted as a trustee of NILA in April. He has been particularly active since then in helping to represent NILA at the new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Search and Rescue, attending meetings there alongside representatives for MREW, Cave and Lowland organisations. The very welcome announcement that the government would remove the requirement for search and rescue vehicles to pay road tax (‘VED’) was as a result of successful lobbying coordinated by this forum.

We have tried to proactively manage our good relationships with our tasking authorities. There was a ‘very good’ declared facility audit visit by the HM Coastguard team at Beachley, Sharpness and Newport in March, and we were able to have some very useful discussions.

The HM Coastguard Team with SARA 1 and the Beachley Leadership during an Inspection Visit

Our SARA Wyre Forest team has always been a slight anomaly in providing a Land Search but not a rope rescue capability. We have had a series of discussions with the tasking authorities in this regard, and in the autumn Herefordshire and Worcestershire fire service confirmed that they do have a requirement for SARA to develop a rope rescue capability in the north part of our area. Developing this based at our Wyre Forest station will be a key focus in 2026.

Our attendance at Emergency Service forums was amply rewarded with invitations to major exercises and other activities. A large train crash exercise organised by Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue was a highlight, with SARA providing the entire medical first response for over 100 ‘badly injured‘ exercise casualties. Not content with that, when one of the exercise casualties suffered a real medical emergency, the team then provided real casualty care, including medication, for an extended period until an actual ambulance arrived.

We were also again grateful to Avon & Somerset LRF for organising flood response training at Cardiff International White Water twice this November. Responders from across SARA always find these sessions very valuable.

Page 13

This year we were able to equip the Cotswolds station with a flood response team, and they are now trained and equipped to the official ‘DEFRA Mod 2’ standards. In part this was due to reallocating some surplus equipment from other stations. We also bought a 4x4 vehicle for the Cotswolds station, so that they now have a satisfactory station fleet with a transit crew-van and a 4x4, both fully liveried.

I’m delighted with the current state of our vehicle fleet. Late in 2025 we bought a replacement 4x4 for SARA Tewkesbury, which has now come into service and replaces the ageing Land Rover there. This completes the urgent need to refresh our vehicle fleet.

We decided to invest in replacing the engines for one of our primary lifeboats, SARA Lifeboat 1, and in January that went off to Delta to receive new 4-stroke engines to replace the 10-year old 2-strokes. Not to be outdone, at Sharpness we replaced the entire stock of lifeboat helmets and have invested in on-board helmet communications on both SARA Lifeboats 2 and 4. We also disposed of the training boat at SARA Sharpness and the hovercraft neither of which had operational justification.

Dr John Dutton retired this year from the role of Executive Land Search Manager, a role which he has held for 15 years. During this time, he built the significant and highly professional land search capability which we have today and the Board is hugely grateful for his contribution. He continues to play a role in the leadership of the land search operation, both behind the scenes and as an active Search Manager.

Another huge achievement was Hannah Lowe, one of our team doctors from SARA Wyre Forest, completing the Montane Winter Spine Race MRT Challenger in January, the first SARA member to do so. Then in June she placed 3rd in the Montane Summer Spine MRT Challenge North. Well done Hannah!

John Dutton with his presentations for 15 years’ service as Executive Land Search Manager

The awesome Hannah Lowe, who completed the Winter Spine Race MRT Challenger South

Internal training remains the main focus of our preparation for operations. Amongst many other achievements, we were delighted this year to have two members from SARA Tewkesbury qualify as additional Swiftwater & Flood Rescue Instructors, filling a long-standing gap at Tewkesbury which for some years has had to be covered by instructor members from elsewhere.

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A focus for this year was revising and standardising the requirement for ongoing training for Lifeboat crew across our three lifeboat stations. Unlike other disciplines, lifeboat operations are very much station-focused, and different schemes had evolved. The lifeboat training design was very collaborative and has established a pattern which we will now extend out to other disciplines.

This year we have continued to play an active role in our regional rescue association SWERA. Teams from SARA attended medical, rope, and swiftwater training sessions organised by SWERA, and we are currently planning for SARA to host a regional training day later in 2026. During the year SARA members attended a number of operations, as well as training exercises, in support of SWERA teams and they have supported ours.

During 2025 the SARA Dog Unit continued to develop. The two dog teams officially accepted for training by NSARDA have continued to develop their skills in searching areas of woodland, heath and farmland for live people. It is hoped that in Autumn of 2026 these two dogs will be ready for assessment. There are a further three aspirant ‘area live find ‘search dog teams in training. Additionally, we now have an aspirant water search dog team who are close to passing the tests to become an accepted NSARDA trainee team. This dog team will look for people subsurface and will be an exciting development for us.

Water safety education continues to be an important aspect of our operations which is very important and easy to overlook. At our Beachley station, Tyler took on responsibility and initiated a program of visits and talks to schools across a wide area. It was not long before this was recognised by the public. He was proposed for and then awarded the Captain Robert Nairac Award of the Royal Society of St George, which was presented by the Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire at a Ceremony in Gloucester. And then, as a result of that, he was invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace! Possibly the first serving member to be so invited as a result of the SARA service. I was rather envious, but it was thoroughly well deserved.

Tyler receiving the Captain Nairac Award from the Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, and then at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party

Our operational and auxiliary team members invest enormous effort in the fundraising activity that sustains everything we do. This year, that work has again encompassed running races, concerts, dinners, raffles, open days, a golf day and much more. We are deeply grateful to the many individuals and organisations across our community whose generous support makes this service possible.

Page 15

None of it would be possible, either, without the steadfast support of our volunteers' families. Behind every member who responds to a call-out is a partner, parent or child who lets them go — often at short notice, often in challenging circumstances, and invariably without complaint. On behalf of the whole organisation, I extend my sincere gratitude to each and every one of them.

Mark Carwardine Chief Executive Officer

The CEO in his happy place, on a Rope Rescue training exercise at Wintours Leap in the Wye Valley

Page 16

One of our local MPs being taken out on SARA Lifeboat 1

At the summit of Cairngorm, during Winter Training in February

Page 17

Fundraising

SARA raises funds for services through applications to charitable foundations and trusts, bids for appropriate statutory contracts, supported by individual and corporate donations, and community fundraising activities and support.

SARA is registered with the Fundraising Regulator, has a Fundraising Complaints Policy and Procedure and adheres to The Code of Fundraising Practice. Any Fundraising Complaints received by the charity are recorded and acted upon as set out in the procedure. There were no complaints received about fundraising, or any other matters, during 2025.

SARA has no paid fundraisers and does not pay for the services of any fundraising organisation or people.

Review of Risks

The Trustees and Executive Committee conduct an ongoing review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and processes and controls are in place to mitigate those risks.

The Association has Standard Operating Procedures which each member must follow. Whilst SARA is not bound by the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 (as it is part of Mountain Rescue England & Wales (MREW) which is exempt from the above Act), the Trustees’ policy is that the Association should use this legislation as ‘good practice’ for SARA operations.

SARA carries insurance policies to cover health and safety risks, include some insurance cover provided through policies arranged by Mountain Rescue England & Wales (MREW). The Executive Committee continues to monitor Insurance policies to ensure they are adequate for SARA’s purposes.

Reserves Strategy

As an organisation providing emergency search and rescue services, SARA must be able to repair and replace critical operational equipment immediately — lives depend on it. The Trustees' reserves policy is therefore designed to ensure the Charity maintains the financial capacity to safeguard service delivery against significant unforeseeable changes in income or expenditure.

The Trustees' policy is to maintain unrestricted cash reserves equivalent to approximately five to six months of actual operational running costs excluding depreciation (circa. £100,000 to £125,000) providing working capital to manage fluctuations in income. At 31 December 2025, free unrestricted cash stood at £101,065

In addition, the Charity holds designated reserves totalling £130,218 to part fund planned capital expenditure on operational assets, including replacement vessels, vehicles and PPE. Restricted funds of £96,803 are held for specific named projects including vessel maintenance, training, rescue PPE and station development, as directed by donors, and are not available for general use. Fixed assets with a net book value of £309,683 are held for Search and Rescue operations and are therefore not available to fund operational costs. The Trustees consider the overall level of reserves to be appropriate given the Charity's reliance on irregular income streams and its significant ongoing capital commitments .

Page 18

SARA Lifeboat 2, Lifeboat 4 and SARA 18 from SARA Sharpness, at their popular Open Day in August

The happy Sharpness Team once the Open Day was finished!

Page 19

A visit and cheque presentation at SARA Beachley

Festive Tesco staff aboard SARA Lifeboat 3 at the start of a Christmas fundraising collection

Page 20

Financial Review

2025 has been another year of development for SARA which has seen continued significant investment in the Charity’s assets.

During the year, two new Ford Rangers were acquired (for Cotswolds and Tewkesbury) as well as a new Launch Tractor and two new engines for SARA 1 at Beachley. In addition, there was a significant investment – funded entirely through local fundraising - in the new Helmet Communications system at Sharpness.

Grants, donations and legacies provide a vital income stream, alongside local fundraising activities, and are key elements in covering the Charity’s running costs and supporting its investment plans. We are very grateful to all parties who have supported the Charity during the year and, of course, for the ongoing substantial efforts of the local station fundraising teams

The disposal of redundant assets has also contributed some welcome funds during the course of 2025, with further such assets to be disposed of during 2026.

As well as income generation, cost control is a vital component in ensuring that SARA’s finances remain robust. Whilst we continue to invest heavily in PPE for members, other costs have been well controlled during the course of the year.

I am pleased to report that the Charity ended the financial year in a robust financial position with overall cash balances of £328,000 and net assets / reserves of £655,000. A high level of cash and reserves is critical to the ongoing success of the Charity given the significant investment that will be required to maintain and improve the Charity’s assets in the coming years.

In December 2025, the Trustees reconfirmed a target for unrestricted cash reserves of £100,000. This target has been achieved whilst increasing the Major Asset Fund to £110,000 (following the investment of some of the 2024 balance during the year) and designating a further £20,000 in total to PPE funds.

Restricted funds at the year end, totalled £97,000 with the most significant elements representing monies raised for the Beachley Tractor Shed and for improvements (including a new engine) to Newport’s SARA Lifeboat 14.

Although total unrestricted funds stand at £558,576, the majority of this is represented by fixed assets in operational use and funds designated by the Trustees for specific future purposes. Free unrestricted cash reserves available for general use amount to approximately £101,000, which is within the range agreed as part of the Charity's Reserves Strategy.

Many thanks to all of those SARA members, and other partners, who have assisted me during my first year with the Charity. Your support has been invaluable and very much appreciated.

Chris Burgess Chief Financial Officer

Page 21

Working with air ambulance, road ambulance and coastguard personnel on a multi-agency training exercise in July

SARA Lifeboat 1 rescuing a disabled yacht in May

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF SARA

I report to the Trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Severn Area Rescue Association (the Charity) for the year ended 31 December 2025.

Responsibilities and Basis of Report

As the Trustees of the Charity you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act).

I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent Examiner’s Statement

Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of ICAEW, which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the 2011 Act; or

  2. the financial statements do not accord with those records; or

  3. the financial statements do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.

Helen Tinsley FCCA Azets First Floor St David’s Court Union Street Wolverhampton WV1 3JE

Dated: 11 May 2026

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTMTIES 14CLUDING INCOME AND EXPEN()rruRE AccouKr FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEM8ER 2025 Totsl fvnd• 2025 fvDd• 2124 2024 107.450 71,3 163.S81 10.871 271.031 266 1SS,168 85,￿2 620 6.757 1.303 80.167 13,667 23S,33S 98,749 620 6.757 Chart1￿ xlMlleB 41.613 41.613 229,4 174.457 403,956 248,930 93,834 342,7 lunda 10,749 22ts,$40 10.749 71.342 2ts.882 10,460 246,39S 2258 66.729 12,718 J)3,124 •xp•hd#u 71.342 310,631 2S6,15S 58,517 31S.842 103.115 93.325 (7.925) 34.847 26.922 88.396 188.3981 131 {131} fund• 11 78. 14.719 93J2S 17.794) 34.716 26.922 RKondl•tknn olfvndl: Fund l)anc8 at 1 J 479.970 Oa4 562. 487.764 47.X8 $35.132 F￿d b•l•n¢•• •131 D•e•mb•i 212S .S76 96.803 655.379 479.970 82.084 562.054 from COMnuln9 9(vfa••. Page 24 SAR*c-

SEVERN AREA RESCUE ASSOCIATION BALANCE SHe AS AT 31 DECEII8ER 2ffl6 2e.813 304.491 328.oa8 331.304 1S,7S1) J25.553 855.379 02,054 .8oJ sse.sr8 1• 479.970 IIS6.379 682.OS4 Mrc Page 25 SAR*c-

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 310ECEAI8ER 2025 ¢h•rfty Inforn￿n ••cond only RNU. 2011, FRS 102 Rew11ng Standwd UK #nd RoFthlk of Ir81#rf ITRS 10 to pf•pv•vJ Ihw ac£othts in ac£ordart• wilh FrnrLial Rèpcrtng &and¥d App1K￿8 m tho UK of IT￿nd (FRS 102r (•ff•the 1 20191. Th• chartty rd g PUL B•nefft Entsy u d&fm•d by FRS 102. pDlIc￿ •dwod 810 •et OLI b•kn¥. 12 aDlrwJ eonc•rn (%￿n￿? lo goln9 VYK•m ba ol ￿¢￿11¥j In pr•por¥ ts fffiancwl at•m8nl 1.3 ChrltAbl• D••lgtw•d w• ••¢ ••hJ• by trum0￿ a• 4 &)rffl ol Unrn•trKt•d F￿￿. lty lh• f•wx 1A ol iho dana10￿ unl￿• perfDM￿C• Conth.￿￿ roqw• dd•rrnl d tho thi• IrKorn• M d•l•rr•d Lmtd thobg coThiion8 vé fulty th8 I￿￿￿nt of Ilkxa l• ￿1h￿ the c￿￿01 cl tho dianty And li il Probth that W il be fthlknL L•gAew w• r•e£qnlwd on Of rf tho ch•y hA8 bè•n Thxlfièd crf ￿ Im￿nd1￿j ¢8lrbubC￿. Page 26 SAR*c-

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS {coKfiNUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025 ¢ounllry pl¢l•• l.S Exp•ndllur• nwrrt m?owrvO Ipl￿b￿. Ey4¥¥￿ N ￿r%￿nI1￿ ac£ruals and b•wb dowfied uThJw Iwdlng8 tsl al (ut r81otod to th• calegory. Wlhwe c4AIB bo direth Bitrtsjtsd to ho￿1￿¥ they ha￿ be lè offK4 c48ts, 90￿M￿nC￿ C4xts. otrr ca8ts. Thay ar• aupwt ol Bdiwy thoy hwrn bp•n dbJ¢atgd to cojl ol r••ry gxwJrtw• on tortst40 b•• l.• T•Mthl• ftx•d ••• D4weuallon i• r•cognwd 00 Bs k¥ rt off thg Lut ol rn•lduql th•tr qtrwht 25 ItIWlBht LYb7 o¥•r 4 & 5 Plqnt wJ The ga￿ or lom anwj cffl (18PO8 14 w avsot l• d•lerrnmd aB trho dA1•fo￿O beteqn I￿ •￿? wDc••dB d th• cw valu8 ol And M rowni8￿ •tam8nt olfttwnc￿l ￿tm￿•s. 1.7 hTwlrm•th ol blx•d ••MI• At gath reP>11￿a gnd th• th• •iwrt• ol ts twJl￿O ••••ts tr) dotwmb th•r8 18 any that tho88 8888ts 8ull•rod ￿ Imp•m8ni 1088. Ir any 8uth ¥KlicaK •xAts. the [￿0¥•r8￿• Amr￿nE ol tha A98et IA ￿l￿n&d m ordAr lo d&•rmino lh• axlont of Iho ImpA[m￿ Page 27 SAR*c-

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025 'Olw Fmanc4wl In&lrwn8nts hweB'Jf FRS 102 lo mtrurrnrts. It• i• • l•Wy •nfrYceth to u•1 oll Ihe r•crwrn•d 4mDunt• Ind tr•• * kn ¥enbon lo MIU• tyi • not d••¥fi•d •• r•¢0Ntil• yoar ￿ Thx•ftKrt••d. l.l• D•lA•rn s¥•dkn t•¢•1Y￿1• I p•Y414• •fi• y•w 1.11 hm•lm•nl pollcy Tho chBrity Ya an emrnpt WI￿ th• munlng of qchBdule 3 dth8 ChwiiiB• 20118nd IB com￿rI to Pa8B lh• t88ts aet PwBgrwh I Sche¢thA• 6 >)10 ther8ltn rt m&Dts the dofnkn 018 Page 28 SARc-

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS {CONnNUEO) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 310ECEMBER 2025 In tho cl tho clwW8 ￿court￿g polk& the trwlo8B are req4irl lo ffloke I￿590M￿l￿8. eOtThlo •M16wnwon• 8btyJt th• ¢aff￿r¥j fmourt ol aso•ty and th818r• nol ro•dily •pp¥ort <th¢f or• con&ld8r•d to be ral8vant. ACtrL￿ r•8utls may thff•w from lh￿1 88lmat• •blmats6 are recry￿p•d in tl wb)d m whlth ¢he 1% ￿5￿d ¥hwo tho re¥Thlon ￿tY th&t poriod•. Th• onty key a￿0￿1￿9 eolknal•B Included in Ihe Ilnqrwjal rele1• to th? ujefvl ol tho d Iho ￿nDd o¥•r are dav￿{d. Th• InAtao8 dttlde th8 u8elul Irfo dot•nThn• th• T•t•l fund• 2•25 fvnd• 2024 fimdA 2025 2Q25 24 68.070 50.992 148.C62 ,867 24,500 29247 1190 33.400 10.000 38287 124.067 17.9 97.009 114,989 7.150 65,514 16 st￿90r￿p8 107.45) 163.S81 271.031 ISS.168 80.167 235,335 Tot•1 fund• 2•25 fund• 2•24 knd• 2024 2024 69.3 10.876 77282 13.667 71,3 10.876 85.082 13.667 98,749 Page 29 SAR*c-

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025 l￿d0 2025 620 fimd• 2025 nd• l￿d• 2025 2•24 41.613 437 41.613 Unv••trktsd R••ltht•d Totsl nd• 2•14 202S 201$ 2024 2•24 Funth•l•kng •nd pub¥¢lty Oih8r funtrsiNJ e4X 10.74• 10.74? 10.460 11718 Page 30 SARc-

MOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (coKnNUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025 Ewndllw• •n ¢hw•bl• •¢#¥l•• Ch•rt•bl• eh•rll•b 125 2924 55.404 13.843 50.619 11.788 18.928 32.778 18,299 72.2n 60.798 9.592 1.057 F￿1 Colts 30.792 19.764 57.069 77.704 274.531 276.132 Ilw• •1 •uppwt •nd f••ts l••• ngl• 1•) 15.728 22.227 4.765 209. 303.124 tyfvnd 228.540 71J42 246.393 56.729 209.882 303.124 2•25 2924 11.229 244 3,329 619 2211 3.37S 1,220 4.765 Pthtsn9. Poat 8nd lCrnry 767 1.733 610 Chwo 1855 1123 9.623 •nd F￿01 25.351 2S.3S1 Page 31 SARc-

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS {CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025 212S 4.•r 4.851 42fy) Log41 Bnd prrrfowlon 4.76$ 11 11•¢ mw•m•rt In ft¥ 2125 24 . for th• IndopwMl&nl oltho chaW• fThnLI •ttsn•rt¥ zoeo 2.120 50.619 18661 1972 55.404 141.613) trom thJrtn9 th• 13 Eff•lw Th• thirlty i• •x•rrpt t&¥ on galn• •Kllon SOS of tho T•x••Ad 1988 u ••rAknn Page 32 SARc-

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS IcoKfiNUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEAI8ER 2025 15 Twrylbh ftx•d r• Co•1 397.751 1221.182 1.618,933 129.624 129.624 1133.0331 1133.033) At 31 Da¢￿Ttsr 2025 397.751 1217.773 1.615.524 At l 2025 283,446 1.098,986 1.382,432 12.4181 42.723 $5,404 1131.9951 1131.W) 8lnYwt•d In roM)wX of4Jffjw•o1• At 31 Dac8rn￿r 2025 296.127 1.(XIg.714 1.305,041 Cwrylng •mounl At 31 DKorthr 2025 101.824 XJ8.059 309.883 At 31 thcorthr 2024 114.305 122.196 236.501 2•25 X24 1,138 4.6 8.647 23.638 31768 26,013 17 ¢r•dtorn.' l•lln• du• llhlTh on• y• 2•2S 24 Trndo rfftJrt(WB 8.6S8 1.369 4,382 15.158 &751 Page 33 SARc-

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED JI DECEM8ER 2025 lo by doThx• al to how they miy be ubod. Al l knu•ry kn¢•mkng R••YJr￿I At31 Gk>a I%>PC {11 vthr & fiood 14.948) 113.Tr)1) 11.147) 18) 14.339 1,338 SAAA tif•bo8t 14 Enp 3.150 4.182 12268) &064 11.763) 1341 SARA Lifaboat 6 Trnll•r 3,12• 13.129) 1.W) r ern4 mtrK40d (21 3.481 13.4 13.4( 80￿h1•Y Trnclor & Sh•d 29.W7 (￿.0C￿ 889 12.048) 139.391) {8.345 662 11387 16,857 34.￿1 ￿￿1￿1 H￿Nh FnlAid T[￿nry 86￿hleY Swa l Enqry• 1163) 1.517 5230 44.481 1.135 <39.251 R8pLgc•n4rt 4x4 S21S4 C(nft (3.75 <17.043 463 1.072 930 18.617 19)2) 1867) 174.457 171.342) {88.398 9&803 Page 34 SAR*c-

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (COPlllNUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025 11 R••trl¢l•d fvndB ICothknu•dJ At l kncomkng RMour￿l At31 D•e•mb•r 9•24 Gb]8 CPC QrBrt111 16.6SOI 14.3771 11.8381 243 5,524 SARA LM•boat 14 En 3.150 162761 SAIU Ltl4bts•l 6 Trnll•t 3.129 3.129 7.4Y7 15.5021 17.7461 Fil-OLrt 7.746 8•￿h1#Y & 37.127 {3.9111 34.722 10.4W5 11.412 8.021 4.718 12.5761 12.8621 {￿0) 16.8S7 trtr¥m•a OrAnt131 A@ntst H￿hh Fi￿lAId Tr8inry {3881 172} R•&4&c•nrt 4x4 E•tste olAnTr•tt• D•w•/" 14.9411 159 S•wch Oog Lknrt 1.153 1.153 11.(f#) {11.(ml 47.368 93,834 158.9871 11311 084 13) Grnnt frJr 1o(knk4 rwL¥ alnlng and 04u1pii￿l Tr•am￿l of ugry f8otslcted fvnd8 . . £8,345. Purehtt• of thtswc4d 4x4 vol¥d• . £39.251 . c4 SARA 1 Boat grvJlno• . £3.757. olTvwko6bury vehlclo - £17.043- S21S4 Halmot conYnunicalKy 8ybt8m Page 35 SAR*c-

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (COIITINUED> FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEhl8ER 2025 1• Unfv•th¢t•d lund• pl8c8m8nt on a IlrTty boBl& To th1• •nd ol the lund hal etsiBhed to J In tr4• A11kn￿ry kn¢•mkn• A•￿¢t•• Tr•n•t•r• At31 202$ MaprA8Mt8 R8[A8c•ff￿ {11 120.1 128.7781 18.778 110.0(X> Frt-ry 919 17011 218 PPE131 a8￿h￿Y TrnLlor pWcha￿ H1 202S121 iO.CA 110.¢￿) 14.7(#)I 11.1641 {193.947) 344.351 228.335 49.618 428,358 479.970 {239289) 88.396 $58,576 Al 1 j￿￿￿ry kn￿n￿l 11••oure•• Traral• At31 D•G•fflb•r 2124 (20.QX)I 120.0 Frt-thrt Uplm Siatw 4x4 Fh-ty 1871 14.9701 919 4.970 2024 PPE a6￿h1o¥ TrBctor pWcha￿ H1 202S121 6.645 31.Llh) 16.6451 131.(#X)I 10,0ts) 4.7 Corrtrol FoLrt 10.fj 164230 (10.CWI {184.1531 YA.143 131 344.351 487.764 246. {256.8551 131 479.970 Page 36 SARc-

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (coKfiNUEDI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 310ECEMBER 2025 f• Urn••bl¢t•d fvrbd• IC•rtknu•d) 111 A8s•ts at th• •ThY d 2W21 +•1th £50.Cttt to th18. to b• yth otrb8r furth raN•¢l kn the8e Pwpo￿. It orM8agqd Ilwt ts u•e and ol rTbY Ihe Fund be 2tY25 £28.778 v•a8 ubvAI lo ond T•bbury oTh1 Ih dwty hm dKl•d b Inu0￿• tho lurMI £110,￿) at th8 en (21 Pl￿11￿ ay••d m 04 2CQ4 r<1 ty ￿-￿¥1. tr• now b••n extht•d In 3)25. 20 And￿1• ￿ n•t •B••ts b•iw••n fund• iknmtrld•d R••trl¢tsd fund• nd 2025 212S Totsl 2•2S At 31 D•￿mb•1 2•2&. TwvJiblo •Baets 309.683 248.•93 96.803 345.696 558.578 .803 655.379 iknmtrlGt•d R••trl¢l•d fun0• 2024 2024 2•24 JI DK•mbw2•24: TwvJlbla •B8ets 236.501 243.469 236.$01 325.SS3 479.•70 004 Ca¥h * b&nk 4wwJ m h￿d at Ihe yw oTh1 wav U28.086. of wlth t•5.803 W8B rwtrKed. £130218 de8yn81gd by ts trwlgeB fw puw. bolarw 01 É101.065 41 the year er)d 08 trJ#o¥Th.' 2•25 6￿37% (309,6831 117.6101 196.8031 1130.2181 L•&8". Fixèd AAs8ts In ￿rAt￿￿1 U L•88'. N•1 Curr8n¢As8818 8xckMl¥wJ Ca8h Le88.' Reth"(t•d CB5h t)Dnotsd fur • Puryx• 101.ms Page 37 SARc-

SARA Lifeboat 1 at speed on the Wye (thanks to Chepstow Camera Club!)

Page 38

Annex A: SARA’s Operational Role and Tasks

SARA is a multi-disciplinary volunteer search and rescue organisation and is the designated rescue service for an area of over 20,000 km[2 ] on and around the Severn. It provides:

SARA operates from seven rescue stations, at Newport, Chepstow (SARA Beachley), Sharpness, Tewkesbury, Upton-upon-Severn, Kidderminster (SARA Wyre Forest) and at Cirencester (SARA Cotswolds). SARA Crew receive ‘callouts’ through a combination of dedicated Pagers and through SMS messages using the SARCALL system.

Lifeboats and Mud Rescue

SARA is the designated rescue service for the Rivers Severn, Wye and Usk. The SARA lifeboats, based at Beachley, Sharpness and Newport are tasked by HM Coastguard, largely in response to 999 calls.

The River Severn below Gloucester is used for around 350 commercial ship transits per year, and many more by leisure craft of all types from dinghies and yachts to canal narrow boats and converted freighters and tall ships. The tidal range on the Severn at Beachley, and on the Wye at Chepstow, is 15 metres (the second highest in the World!), which means that the river changes within a few hours from a wide expanse of deep water, to narrow shallow channels weaving through extensive sandbanks.

In addition, the tidal current on the Severn reaches over 12 knots; this can lead to very turbulent river conditions in even a moderate wind. Most of the way to Gloucester the riverbed is very broad, with a narrow and winding navigable channel, marked with numerous buoys, beacons and transits. The margins of all the tidal rivers have wide and thick mudbanks below the high-tide levels, and in places the exposed mud leads out to rocky islands at low tide.

Typical incidents for SARA include vessels grounding or losing power hence requiring urgent assistance to avoid grounding. People have been rescued from islands or ledges where they were being cut off by the tide or actually plucked from the mud. On other occasions boats, and other floating hardware, are broken loose by the water and drift with the fast currents and have to be recovered. On average lifeboats are launched operationally around once a week (50-60 launches per year).

SARA's declared area of lifeboat operations, for which it is tasked by HM Coastguard, is the Severn, north from a line between Newport and Clevedon to Maisemore Weir near Gloucester, and the tributary rivers Wye (to Bigsweir Bridge), Usk (to the M4 Bridge) and the Avon (to Bristol Docks). If required in exceptional circumstances, SARA Lifeboats can extend beyond this area, using a re-fuelling stop at Newport, to operate north of a line from Barry to Weston Super Mare.

The SARA lifeboats area also features several high bridges – notably the M48 Severn Bridge but also the A48 in Chepstow and several in Newport. SARA is often called out to a ‘person at risk’ on a bridge. The majority, but sadly not all, are resolved directly by the Police. However, a lifeboat is always launched so as to be ready. Recoveries are therefore not uncommon, but SARA has successfully rescued people from the water below a bridge.

Page 39

Land Search

SARA provides ‘land search’ capabilities, for missing persons, in support of the Police. SARA works with the Police Forces for Gloucestershire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire (West Mercia Police), and the West Midlands. These Police Forces request SARA support for ‘Missing Person’ searches in their respective areas, and teams from the various SARA Stations work together as appropriate to the search area location.

Such missing person searches can range in duration from less than an hour to spanning several days and may become ‘recovery’ rather than rescue operations. SARA is able to deploy one of its two Mobile ‘Incident Control Units’ (ICUs) to support such searches and other operations; searches are managed from the ICU, which is the focus for liaison with the Police and other agencies. SARA’s MoUs with the Police are to assist with any search, in any terrain, for a vulnerable missing person – including urban searches if required.

SARA is also a member (Associate Member since Jan 2021) of Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW). Generally, MR teams deploy into mountainous environments (or at least challenging ones); in the SARA area the more technical areas would include the Wye Valley, Forest of Dean, Wyre Forest or Cleeve Hill.

In addition, all neighbouring Search & Rescue and Mountain Rescue teams back each other up, providing mutual aide when required. SARA is frequently involved in operations involving the Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, West Mercia or Longtown teams, and less often Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Central Beacons.

Cliff Rescue

SARA Beachley is a specific base for the Cliff Rescue in the Lower Wye Valley, where the cliffs around Wintours Leap, Symonds Yat and other walls are a popular destination for climbers of all abilities. It is estimated that there are 3,000-4,000 climber-days per year in the Lower Wye Valley. There are also a number of disused quarries in the area, in which accidents involving non-climbers happen.

SARA has an MoU with Gloucester Fire & Rescue Service (GFRS) for effecting cliff rescue operations, and an increasingly close relationship with South Wales FRS (some of the cliffs are on the Welsh side of the Wye). The SARA rope rescue training is based on Rescue3 qualifications, also used by the Fire and Rescue services which facilitates interoperability. SARA has in-house Technician-level instructors.

There is a further close relationship with Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group (GCRG), which also has rope rescue trained personnel and relevant equipment, which are available as required. Conversely SARA is available to provide surface support to cave rescue operations and indeed is integral to the contingency plans for caves such at ‘Otter Hole’ in the Wye Valley. Rope rescue operations are thankfully rare, but joint exercises are conducted with the FRS and GCRG.

Page 40

Inland Water and Flood Rescue

Swift Water is defined as ‘that moving fast enough to produce sufficient force to present a life and safety hazard to a person entering it’. Operations in inland water are referred to as ‘Swiftwater Rescue’ or ‘SRT’ tasks – SRT being ‘Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Technician’, the national standard for rescuers. Inland water operations are sometimes life-saving rescues, however due to the time-sensitive nature of water incidents these are often search and if necessary, recovery operations. Their initiation is often by a combination of Police, FRS or Coastguard. Dependent on the water concerned, a small boat may be deployed, or a floating platform, in addition to crew directly in shallow water. SARA has the ability to launch such small boats in almost all rivers, with no requirement for slipway or road access to the riverbank. Such small boats are referred to as ‘Rescue’ boats; SARA prefers rigid rescue boats to reduce the risk of punctures from the use of inflatables.

SARA Swift Water crew are qualified to the national standard, and we have in-house instructors for DEFRA Mod 3 (rescuers) and Mod 4 (boat operators) under the Rescue3 scheme. The Swift Water Teams are also able to deploy on flood rescue operations nationally, as Flood Response Teams. DEFRA, through the National DEFRA Flood Rescue group, coordinate the Flood Response Team deployments nationally. SARA currently has 1 x ‘Type B’ and 5 x ‘Type C’ declared teams of 6, shared between its 7 Stations, which need to be ready for deployment anywhere in the country.

First Aid and Casualty Care

All SARA crew are trained, at minimum, in basic first aid. A number of SARA crew are further qualified to the much higher level of ‘Remote Rescue Medical Technician’ (RRMT, formerly ‘Casualty Care’) as defined by MREW. In addition, a number of crew are professional paramedics, nurses or serving as Community First Responders.

First aid equipment is carried during all searches and in all SARA vehicles; depending on the nature of the operation, equipment such as Oxygen, portable defibrillators, back- and neck-stabilization boards may be taken into the field.

Education and Training Provision

SARA provides training and education to the wider community through a variety of routes. These include:

  1. Emergency Services Training. For the Emergency Services, SARA provides lifeboat training. For example, SARA Beachley has an ongoing relationship with the South West Ambulance Services Trust to provide structured, water-based rescue training for members of their Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART). This provides specialist knowledge, training and experience of working with boats, including in the tidal waters of the Severn Estuary.

  2. School Visits. The SARA stations frequently host visits from and undertakes visits to local primary schools, Scouts and Guides Units, etc. These are designed to be educational as well as fun, informing young people of the dangers of the water and other aspects of the local area of which they may be unaware.

  3. Outreach Activities. SARA frequently particulates in relevant ‘community outreach’ activities such as the Drowning Awareness Weeks, again providing education about the avoidance of risks as well as information concerning SARA and other emergency Services.

Page 41

Event Safety Cover

Most years SARA also provides safety and first aid cover to local outdoor-based events, generally sports related. These are usually events which involve water, and/or off-road running, such as rowing regattas, raft races, triathlons and off-road running races. SARA undertakes this role for several reasons:

  1. To support the local community. SARA has historically provided this service at a discount to the notional cost, in order to facilitate and support these local events to a greater extent than alternative organisations would be able to. The number of such races and events supported continues to rise, as local organisations realise the capabilities which SARA can bring to their events.

  2. To raise SARA’s profile. SARA is usually paid for providing the service, albeit at hugely discounted rates for community groups to enable these to be viable, but for many members of the public spectating, this is an excellent opportunity to see SARA in action.

  3. To put SARA’s skills into play 'in the field' and provide real-world experience.

Providing safety Cover for a Rowing Regatta, one of many which SARA covers each year

Page 42

Annex B: Summary of SARA Capabilities

Inland Missing Person Search

Water operations

Mud Rescue

Cliff and Steep Ground (Gloucestershire-Based)

Advanced First Aid

Command and control

Page 43

Land Search Team Training at SARA Cotswolds

And the newly trained – and equipped - Water First Responders at SARA Cotswolds

Page 44