Record number of call outs for North East Wales Search and Rescue Team

As 2022 comes to a close, a local search and rescue team has reached a historic milestone.

Over the past year, volunteers from North East Wales Search and Rescue Team (NEWSAR) were called out a record-breaking 101 times – an average of almost 2 calls per week.

This marks the first time the Loggerheads-based NEWSAR team has been called out over a hundred times in a single year.

It took the team 17 years, from its formation in 1981 to the end of 1997, to reach this same total number of calls.

In fact, it wasn’t until 2011 that the team first handled over 50 calls in a year.

The 48 team NEWSAR team members spent over 3,320 hours on call-outs in 2022, assisting 74 people and one dog.

The team credits their success to the hard work and dedication of its members, as well as the support of the community.

‘We are grateful to everyone who has supported us this past year and helped us to reach this achievement,’ A NEWSAR spokesperson said.

As NEWSAR looks back on the past year and the challenges they faced, they are also looking ahead to the future and the continued success of the team.

24 hours a day 365 days a year.

NEWSAR team members are on call 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

The search and rescue team’s primary operating area is in North East Wales mainly covering the counties of Flintshire, Denbighshire, Wrexham and parts of Conwy and Powys.

The team also regularly assists Mountain Rescue teams elsewhere in North Wales as well as Lowland Search and Rescue teams in Cheshire and Shropshire.

NEWSAR volunteers also assist Police in searching for vulnerable people who are missing from home or those in need of rescue.

All team members are volunteers and we do not receive any payment for providing this service to the Police.

It costs approximately £45,000 a year to run the Team – this covers fuel and repairs for vehicles, protective equipment for team members, training courses and team equipment such as ropes, stretchers etc.

As NEWSAR is a Registered Charity the vast majority of this money is raised through grants, individual donations, legacies, street collections and collection tins.

To donate click here or contact fundraisingofficer@newsar.org.uk about potential larger donations including company or organisation sponsorship options.