A DONATION of £85,000 will enable the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) to respond more quickly to emergencies.

SARA has received the vital cash from the Mark Fund of Benevolence, a Masonic charity, and it will help to finance the ongoing slipway project at SARA's Sharpness station.

For more than 20 years SARA lifeboats launching from Sharpness have had to be lowered by a crane into the water but last year a project was started to fund a new slipway, which enables quicker and safer launching.

The slipway also provides a more suitable casualty disposal point because an ambulance can easily drive onto a slipway, previously the lifeboat would have to find an alternative location to come ashore and meet paramedics.

Geoff Dawe, the SARA Sharpness Station chairman, said: "The new slipway is fantastic and makes our job so much easier, the old crane launch facility was more of a hindrance.

"The slipway has now been built but we are having trouble with not having a boat house at the top and that creates problems trying to launch."

Mr Dawe said the Sharpness station is now trying to secure planning permission for the new boathouse, which will be paid for by the Masonic donation.

With the building of the new boathouse the old boathouse, which is the original Dock Master's house, will be used as a base for the SARA immediate response team.

Mr Dawe said: "The immediate response team will respond to calls in land which is essential because we are the first back up for the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue service.

"SARA played an important role last summer and the Sharpness crew spent five days helping rescue people in Tewkesbury who were trapped by floods."

SARA is also a fully trained mountain rescue team.

John Eley, the Provincial Grand Master of Mark Master Masons for Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, said: "This is a marvellous way of saying thank you to SARA for all that they do in waterborne rescue, and for their efforts in last years floods, when their assistance was invaluable."

A special cheque presentation between SARA and the Masons will take place on Sunday, March 30, at the Beachley Headquarters of SARA.

5:23pm Wednesday 26th March 2008

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