We are a local, totally voluntary, independent charity affiliated to a national body the Association of Lowland Search and Rescue. We are DEFRA registered for Flood Rescue. We work closely with West Mercia Police and the Fire and Rescue Services of Shropshire. We received the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2022 and a Gold Armed Services Covenant in 2023.
West Mercia Search and Rescue is a volunteer charity that raises the funds, to train and equip a search and rescue team that supports the emergency services in finding and recovering vulnerable missing people.
Our operational area covers 1.2 million people, across 6500 square miles, with the River Severn at the heart. More and more of our call-outs are to find people who are at risk in, on or near water. We are frequently called out to people last seen near the river on busy “party nights”.
Not just water based, typical callouts are for people with dementia, mental health issues, or with suicidal thoughts.We carry out a large portion of our training internally using the skills of members. We also have to look outside for a range of nationally recognised qualifications to satisfy our membership of Lowland Rescue and to remain qualified to be called out by DEFRA in major incidents. We have to use recommended suppliers for these courses and we have to carry the cost.