Facing the final weekend as funding dries up

A worrying story has appeared on the pages of Felixstowe TV at http://www.felixstowetv.co.uk concerning the very sad decision to withdraw the Felixstowe's Volunteer Coast Patrol Rescue Service. It reads: -

Guardian Rescue Faces Final Weekend As Funding Dries Up

Rising fuel prices, unplanned maintenance costs, and little ongoing funding, mean that Felixstowe's Volunteer Coast Patrol Rescue Service, which celebrated its 10th birthday last year, will not be able to run any more after this weekend.

Founder and chairman John Cresswell said, "The decision to withdraw the service while the resort and the service is busy is very disappointing. Over the 11 years we have been running, we have made hundreds of rescues, with several lives being saved."

Although not a lifeboat, the service, which ran for 47 days during weekends and bank holidays last summer, patrols the Felixstowe coastline and river estuaries, covering up to 4,000 miles in a season, and can be called on by coastguards. The Volunteer Coast Patrol Rescue Service, or 'Guardian Rescue', was first launched during carnival weekend in 1997. However, apart from a regular grant from Felixstowe Town Council, most of the volunteers' annual £18,000 - £20,000 running costs have to be raised through donations every year.

If you are able to support Guardian Rescue, please contact John Cresswell through Felixstowe TV.

June 2008: Felixstowe Volunteer Coast Patrol Rescue Service

August 2007: 10 Years of Guardian Rescue


www.guardianrescue.org.uk

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