Incidents

We are tasked by the emergency services, including HM Coastguaard, Fire & Rescue, Police and the Ambulance Services. Our teams are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Below are the callouts that we have attended.

• Gloucester 28-04-21

  Around 2330 on Wednesday night, land and water search assets were requested by Gloucestershire Police to assist in the search for a missing lady in the Gloucester area.
  Team members from SARA’s Tewkesbury and Beachley Stations deployed on foot and searches of the River Severn were undertaken by boat crews from SARA’s Sharpness Station, operating from two rescue boats.
  With nothing found we stood down at 4am, to recommence the search this morning. However we are pleased to say that contact with the missing lady was made by the police shortly thereafter, and our teams were not required again.
  Our thanks to our police colleagues and we wish the lady well.
  Many thanks to all the volunteers who turned out in the small hours – and their families!

  28th Apr 2021

  28th Apr 2021

• Gloucester 25-04-21

  Shortly before 2am, whilst a separate missing person search near Cheltenham was ongoing, the SARA Sharpness crew were tasked to assist Gloucestershire Constabulary and Gloucestershire fire and rescue service with a search for a missing person in Gloucester.
  The crew launched two boats on to the River Severn in Elmore and commenced a search upriver towards Llanthony weir. Sadly, during the search, our crews located the body of young man.
  With the police having been informed, a dignified recovery of the body was carried out in very challenging circumstances. With all boats recovered, all crew were stood down at 0630 hrs.
  The thoughts of SARA are with the friends and family of the man involved at this tragic time.

  25th Apr 2021

  25th Apr 2021

• Cheltenham 24-04-21

  Around 9pm on Sat 24 April we were requested by Gloucestershire Constabulary to support a search for a high risk missing person in the area north of Cheltenham,. Land search teams from SARA Beachley, SARA Tewkesbury and Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group, along with a dog team from SARDA (South Wales) searched until around 3am, when they were stood down with nothing having been found.
  The search was resumed at midday the following day (Sunday 25 April), with teams from SARA stations at Beachley, Tewkesbury and Wyre Forest together with Midlands Cave Rescue Organisation meeting again at Cheltenham Racecourse. We were delighted that during this time the missing man was found safe and well, and our search teams were stood down at 3pm.

  24th Apr 2021

  24th Apr 2021

• Tidenham 16-04-21

  SARA were called out by Gloucestershire Constabulary mid-morning to search for a missing person near Tidenham in the Forest of Dean.
  Shortly after deploying search teams, the missing person was found safe by a member of the public, and the search teams were able to assist with helping the individual back to the road.
  Many thanks to those from Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group and SARA Tewkesbury who responded so swiftly to join the SARA Beachley team on the search. Also thanks to the Search and Rescue Dog Association South Wales who were stood down en route.

  16th Apr 2021

  16th Apr 2021

• Lower Wye 13-04-21

  SARA was called out by Gwent Police in the early afternoon to assist with a search on the Lower River Wye for a missing person.
  SARA Lifeboat 3 was launched from Beachley and searched upstream as far as Wyndcliff. The smaller craft SARA Rescue 5, which can operate in shallower water, launched from Tintern and carried out a search downstream.
  Thankfully the person was confirmed safe and well by police and both craft returned to Beachley.

  13th Apr 2021

  13th Apr 2021

• Uskmouth 11-04-21

  During SARA Newport’s routine Sunday morning training on the Usk, crew were alerted to a person who required their assistance.
  A sailing club member had tried to recover a homemade buoy from the mud and become stuck, so they alerted SARA.
  One of the crew members, with 2 body boards, an inflatable sponson and a line went out and free’d the casualty, who was then able to self rescue back across the mud.

  11th Apr 2021

  11th Apr 2021

• Long Newnton, Tetbury 05-04-21

  SARA was called out around 8.30pm to the village of Long Newnton, near Tetbury, to support Gloucestershire Constabulary with a missing person search. Land Search teams from our Tewkesbury and Beachley stations and from Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group were deployed, along with a water search team from SARA Sharpness and Serve On Search and Rescue Dogs.

  Sadly during the search the body of a man was found, and a small SARA team worked with the police to recover the body. Teams were then stood down, with the last crew arriving home around 4am.

  Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man concerned.

  5th Apr 2021

  5th Apr 2021

• Stourport 02-04-21

  Just before 11:30pm on 1 April, the crew of SARA Forest Station were tasked by Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service to assist West Mercia Police with a missing person search in the Stourport area. The crew, who had not long returned from training, deployed to scene just after midnight. Also in attendance were our colleagues from West Mercia Search & Rescue and the drone team from Wyre Forest Fire Station. Crews searched through the night, standing down around 5am.

  Around midday, still on 2 April, the crew were again asked to deploy to Stourport to assist with the ongoing search. SARA Tewkesbury was also asked to assist.

  As the crew were searching around the canals and waterways in Stourport, the missing person was located safe and well by a member of public and the police, slightly further along the canal network.

  2nd Apr 2021

  2nd Apr 2021

• Clevedon 30-03-21

  SARA Lifeboat 3 ‘Swift and Bold’ was launched just after 3pm, to go to the aid of a yacht which had run aground near Clevedon.
  Working at very low water, the SARA crew worked with the larger Barry Dock RNLI lifeboat, which towed the yacht up to Portishead. There she was handed over to RNLI Portishead, who had just launched their B-Class lifeboat.

  30th Mar 2021

  30th Mar 2021

• Bewdley 30-03-21

  The SARA Wyre Forest crew were tasked by Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue control to assist with the recovery of an injured goose in Bewdley around 10am
  The crew launched rescue boat SARA 26 and in a combined effort with a shore team, were able to recover the goose to safety.
  The goose was then transported to a rescue centre to be checked over and the crew recovered the boat, returned to station and decontaminated the kit ready for the next tasking.

  30th Mar 2021

  30th Mar 2021