North Baddesley councillors have awarded a Councillor Community Grant of £880 to Hampshire Search and Rescue Dogs, for new equipment including helmets and searching harnesses. The equipment ensures that the team can work safely and effectively in a variety of environments, including near water and at night.
Hampshire Search and Rescue Dogs is a voluntary organisation that provides nationally qualified search dog teams to support the emergency services when looking for vulnerable missing people in Hampshire. From searching for missing children, to the elderly with dementia or those with mental health issues, the team is on-call, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
North Baddesley ward councillor, Celia Dowden, said: “We are delighted to help Hampshire Search and Rescue Dogs by contributing towards much-needed new equipment, to further support their vital work in the community.”
Kev Saunders, Hampshire Search and Rescue Dogs Operations Officer, said: “We are thrilled to receive this grant from Test Valley Borough Council. It allows us to buy essential equipment for our new volunteers and our search dogs. Our team is entirely funded by donations, which enables us to continue our lifesaving work. Without these, we’d be unable to train and equip these amazing dogs and people, or to provide such a vital voluntary service to the police.”
Test Valley Borough Council’s Councillor Community Grant scheme helps to fund community-led initiatives. Local councillors allocate funds to projects that they identify as meeting a need in the community, based on feedback and ideas from residents.
