April's meeting was a talk by Ian Malins a search manager from Warwickshire Search and Rescue.

Everyone's heard of Mountain Rescue but Ian and 80 or so other volunteers perform Lowland Rescue which as a quick show of hands demonstrated was an unfamiliar concept. Ian explained how high risk and vulnerable people such as those with mental health issues, dementia or those reported as suicidal may go missing. And while Warwickshire may not be the most rugged of terrain locating them can be a considerable challenge requiring equipment such as rafts, canoes and drones along with specialised skills.

Working alongside the Police the team was called out 79 times in 2024, more than one a week, with some incidents taking multiple days. So, sadly, it appears their services are much needed. And this from volunteers with all monies from fundraising.

Ian took questions during his talk and there were plenty from members! And yet he managed to keep on track and time. Impressive. There was opportunity to make donations after the talk during the tea and chat.