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Over £70,000 will be provided to fund vital equipment for Ferryside Lifeboat crew and North Wales Mountain Rescue Association

• Lifesaving search and rescue teams in Wales to receive share of £1 million to boost resources
• Over £70,000 will be provided to fund vital equipment for Ferryside Lifeboat crew and North Wales Mountain Rescue Association
• Fund has awarded almost £6 million to date, saving lives on UK waterways

Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart is visiting St. John Cymru Ferryside Lifeboat crew in Carmarthenshire today (Thursday 20 February) following the announcement of a £1 million UK Government funding boost for two Welsh search and rescue teams.

The funding, confirmed by Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps, will benefit 50 charities across the UK to provide essential search and rescue equipment.

During his visit, Mr Hart will hear how the Ferryside Lifeboat crew will use the £40,000 of UK Government funding to purchase new communications devices and protective gear.

Volunteer, Simon Lamble, will explain how the new equipment will allow them to boost their ability to search for missing people in water and rescue those who are stranded.

The North Wales Mountain Rescue Association, which has also been awarded over £31,000 today, has been using equipment part-funded by previous UK inshore lifeboat grants to undertake vital searches of the River Dee in the wake of storm Ciara and Dennis.

This new round of funding will be used to replace protective kit and purchase rescue equipment such as water rafts and sleds, improving the teams’ capabilities in the event of floods and water incidences.

Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said:

“