£240k funding package announced for voluntary Search and Rescue groups | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

£240k funding package announced for voluntary Search and Rescue groups

claire 1Justice Minister Claire Sugden has announced an immediate pre-Christmas £240,000 capital funding package for voluntary Search and Rescue groups in Northern Ireland.

The groups deliver assistance to the emergency services and directly to the community.

They provide lifesaving search and rescue on inland waterways, mountains and caves. They also provide a specialist search dog facility and support civil aviation with a sky watch service.

Article continues below:

30th-nov-2016-small-boxSpeaking to Newry Times, Minister Claire Sugden said, “This vital funding package of £240,000 will immediately benefit the voluntary Search and Rescue teams who, around the clock, are ready to answer calls from people in distress.

“In the first six months of this year, volunteers responded to around 250 incidents, and contributed around 10,000 operational hours. Their dedication, enthusiasm and courage is outstanding.”

Article continues below:
2nd-dec-2016-big-box
The Minister also acknowledged the support the Search and Rescue groups receive from public donations. “I recognise and thank the community who generously continue to support our Search and Rescue groups and help them successfully make our waterways, towns and countryside much safer.”

The funding will be distributed between voluntary Search and Rescue groups who provide assistance to the statutory tasking authorities.

Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=58948

Posted by on Dec 21 2016. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Leave a Reply







Find us on Facebook

Log in | Designed by Gabfire themes