Surrey SAR is an organisation that supports the emergency services with finding vulnerable missing people, particularly the elderly, vulnerable adults, and missing children. Since the organisation started in 2010, Surrey SAR have attended more than 700 incidents across the region.
Cala Homes, which is building Cala at Mindenhurst in Deepcut launched the Cala Community Bursary in Surrey in February and invited organisations, charities and groups in the area to apply for a share of £13,000 to help fund projects that make a difference in the community. Surrey SAR was chosen as a recipient of the bursary, with money going towards five new GPS enabled radios, which will improve the safety and response time of the teams.
This year, the Community Bursary scheme has awarded a total of £109,000 to 117 good causes across the UK. A further 200 causes have previously benefited from the scheme, with over £200,000 awarded to various initiatives since 2017.
James Rossell, Head of Special Projects at Surrey SAR, said: “Surrey SAR plays a big part in the community as we are relied upon to locate and reunite loved ones. Not only do we search for missing people, we also provide hope and reassurance to their families and friends in their hours of need. It is vitally important that we have the correct equipment to carry out our work as efficiently and safely as possible.
“We have been trying to improve our radio communications equipment for some time, but the cost of each radio is quite expensive. We are so grateful and can’t thank Cala enough for the funding they have provided, which has enabled us to purchase five new radios which are GPS enabled. We will now be able to track our teams in real-time, which will positively contribute towards the team’s safety and response time, and ultimately improve the services that we provide to the community.”
Alison Deakin, Sales and Marketing Director at Cala Homes (Thames), said: “Cala has always been committed to helping the local communities in which it builds in. We are happy to be running the Community Bursary again this year as it gives us the opportunity to find out what support is required locally. We are delighted to be supporting Surrey Search and Rescue with the purchase of new radio equipment, and look forward to seeing how the funding helps to make a difference to the rescue team and those in need of their services.”
For further information on Surrey Search and Rescue, visit sursar.org.uk/
For further information on Cala Homes and its Cala at Mindenhurst development, visit www.cala.co.uk/homes-for-sale/thames/mindenhurst
