No one is unaffected by the ongoing Covid-19 situation. We at Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team Plymouth are no different. As a team, we have decided to suspend all of our training and fundraising activities for the time being. Of course, we hope that we can restart these at the earliest possible time but public health must come first.
Vulnerable people will still go missing during the days, weeks and months ahead and we will still be deploying our team as and when requested by Devon & Cornwall Police to search for them and recover them to a place of safety.
The public can play a role in helping us to provide an effective service: If people require assistance but suspect they may have Covid-19 or have been in contact with someone who has, please tell the Police this information as soon as they can when calling 999 for help. That way, the team can be prepared.
Whilst, in the short-term, suspension of training will not have a huge impact on our operational ability, the halting of fundraising activities will begin to take an effect on our finances. We need to raise £25,000 p.a. just to enable us to keep offering this vital service.
We’re taking every possible step to minimise the impact this will have but at the same time, we’re making a request.
If there are any members of the Devon community who are in a position to continue supporting us through this challenging time, we would be extremely grateful. There are many ways in which you can donate.
