A NEW LOOK FOR LOCAL RESCUE TEAM MERCIA INSHORE SEARCH AND RESCUE The local SARA water rescue team is reforming to become a separate organisation in order to meet national UK SAR (Search and Rescue) requirements. Under the new Mercia Rescue name there will be the same team operating from Upton with the continued support of Upton Marina, but now providing a far wider range of rescue techniques and developing into a more specialist water rescue line team to provide a more effective flood rescue facility. In addition, it now opens the door to develop a much needed dive team facility, noting that this has to meet a very stringent code laid down by the Health & Safety Executive and also to National Police Dive Team specification standards. Severn Area Rescue will concentrate on the lower tidal estuary areas and the new Mercia Inshore Search and Rescue (MISAR) will cover the Severn valley from Gloucester up as far as Shrewsbury and into the adjoining Wye and Avon valleys. This is all under the framework of the national UK SAR (Search and Rescue) network and designed to meet problems such as the recent examples at Boscastle and Carlisle. We thank everyone for their tremendous support to the SARA team and I hope we can look forward to the same community support for the new demanding and challenging requirements under Mercia Inshore Search and Rescue (MISAR). David Walker Chairman Mercia Inshore Search and Rescue