extremely strong currents.” They rescue dog walkers who have got into trouble
“We
are
having to make do and mend. We would like to replace some
trying to pull their pets from the water, holiday makers whose pleasure craft are in difficulties, boats with engine failure, kayakers and canoeists in distress, suicide attempts and others. There are many, many, many triumphs. Some never leave the memory. “There have been a number of children, and men and women, who have got caught in the mud,” said Mr Inwood, pausing for a moment at the thought. Someone mentions a young boy who got into difficulties on the sandbanks against the racing and relentless tide. “We searched for him for three days. Day and night.” We change tack.There is no upper age limit to joining SARA, which allows the group to retain and attract skills that would otherwise be out of its reach. “There are both men and women. One of our group is a 17-year old woman, who is about to turn 18 and become a fully-fledged onboard member of the crew,” said Mr Inwood. There have been welcome and generous donations from businesses, but SARA currently raises most of its money from simple street collections. Each station bringing in an astonishing £25,000 to £30,000 annually. It has simply never knocked on the door of the business community in earnest, but acknowledges down this route could lie its Holy Grail. Sean Egan, also leading from the front for SARA, said: “The £223,000 we raised in 2018 has to cover the operation costs. Did we have to maintain equipment in that period? Yes. Did we have equipment that we would have liked to replace in that period? Yes.
of our engines and we would like to exchange one of our Land Rovers for a new one, but we can’t afford it.” All members of the group must do a minimum of two to three street collection days a year. Many do between six or eight. Mr Inwood does a rough tally for himself, and works out he has spent 70 days this year on SARA work.And he clearly loves it. The point is, that everyone is doing what they can – but somehow the SARA is not the household legend it should be. A recent survey judging the level of ‘unprompted awareness’ across Gloucestershire about what SARA is drew a blank in Cirencester. In Stroud, 11 per cent were aware of its work, in Cheltenham 21 per cent, in Tewkesbury 21 per cent, in Coleford 39 per cent and Gloucester 45 per cent. “Ideally we would have awareness of 80 to 90 per cent,” said Mr Inwood. Which is why Punchline has decided to bring SARA to the attention of Gloucestershire businesses in the hope it helps (we have bought SARA’s crew a go-pro camera to help with its search and rescue and promotional work) – and why we feel it not just a privilege, but a
must that we tell a little of their story l If you want to discuss how your business might help SARA, please contact Mr Inwood at sharpness.lifeboat@sara-rescue.org.uk
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