Science department at King Edward's Witley donates PPE to Surrey Search & Rescue

King Edward’s Witley has delivered much needed supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), in response to an urgent appeal from Surrey Search & Rescue (Surrey SAR).

When the Woking-based charity, Surrey SAR - a voluntary specialist search team of more than 80 people - posted an urgent request on Facebook asking for vital supplies of PPE to protect their responders against possible contact with COVID-19, the Science Department at King Edward’s leapt into action. During the current coronavirus lockdown Surrey SAR has also been assisting Surrey Police and Surrey County Council by carrying out welfare checks on some of the vulnerable members of the Surrey community, making the call for additional PPE even more critical.

Science Department Technician, Mrs Alison Hill, sourced, sterilised and packed boxes of protective goggles and disposable gloves which were then hand delivered to the charity.

Surrey SAR assists the emergency services in the search for missing vulnerable adults and children. Its volunteers, assisted by search dogs and drones, deliver an on-call response service 24 hours a day across Surrey and surrounding areas, when the emergency services need their specialist skills. On average 2,100 people go missing in Surrey each year and as such Surrey SAR is one of the busiest search & rescue teams in the UK. The charity, which was formed in 2010, relies solely on donations to purchase vital lifesaving equipment and provide training for its team.

King Edward’s Witley’s Head of Science, Mr Jim Culbert said, “We are delighted to be able to support Surrey Search & Rescue with a donation of essential safety supplies. This is an amazing organisation whose specialist teams offer a vital service to the local community, giving up their time and working tirelessly to find and rescue lost, missing or vulnerable adults and children across Surrey. During the current coronavirus pandemic, Surrey Search & Rescue is also playing a pivotal role in checking on the welfare of those who are deemed particularly susceptible to the virus, ensuring that they remain well and lending a caring and sympathetic ear when people need it most.”

The charity thanked the School in person and also publicly via its Facebook page.