West Dorset is set to receive a share of £1m grant funding towards vital search and rescue services, in an announcement made today by Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps.
Dorset Search & Rescue, which was founded in 2004 by Bob Knott and is now on call 24/7, 365 days a year, is to receive a grant of £28,988 towards its lifesaving voluntary service. DorSAR is called into action via Dorset Police and their teams are able to deploy anywhere in Dorset within 90 minutes.
Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset, said:
All of us in West Dorset and the county as a whole are so grateful to the DorSAR team, who work around the clock in all weathers to rescue people stranded by floodwaters; to help locate high risk missing persons and to assist in lifesaving search and rescue operations. These brave volunteers save lives every day and I hope this additional funding will enable them to have all the craft, equipment and resources that they need.
It's welcome news also for neighbouring Wessex Flood Rescue which receives £10,208.84 and Bournemouth Lifeguard Corps which benefits from £21,885.30.
Since launching in 2014, the Rescue Grant Boat Fund has provided £5.7 million to 104 charities around the UK. Fifty charities, including three from Dorset, are receiving funding for essential search and rescue equipment in this latest round of funding totalling £1million.
View the list of charities: interactive map of the funding winners
[images via www.dorsar.org.uk]
