A MAN who joined volunteer searchers hunting for his missing mother said he was humbled by their “fantastic” efforts.

Christopher Powles and 30 volunteers from OxSAR (Oxfordshire Lowland Search and Rescue) worked through the night after Ann Powles and her dog disappeared before Christmas.

Her body was later found on December 22 underneath ice in the River Cherwell, at Sunnymead, North Oxford, along with her border terrier Jumbo. She is thought to have died of heart failure.

Now Mr Powles, from Kirtlington, near Woodstock, is urging people to help fund a new £9,000 control vehicle for the service so it can help more people in the future.

He said: “On the night when we knew my mother was missing, I joined the 30-strong search and rescue team who were looking for her.

“Hence, I have seen at first hand how OxSAR works and the importance of what they do.

“I was humbled by how all these unpaid volunteers came out in the most atrocious conditions, just before Christmas, to look for my mother very late into the night.

“So, when we learnt OxSAR needed a new control vehicle, we were all delighted to be able to help them with a first donation to launch their campaign.”

Mr Powles said his family had made a “substantial” donation to the fund to say thank you.

Mrs Powles, from Hobson Road, Summertown, Oxford, moved to Oxford in 2003 to be close to her grandchildren. She played a large role at her church, St Michael and All Angels in Summertown.

Following Mrs Powles’s death, her children – Stephen, Christopher, Clare and Julia – said she was a “super granny”.

OxSAR is often the first point of call for Thames Valley Police when a vulnerable person goes missing in the county. Its volunteers have responded to 60 call-outs since April 2009; about one every 10 days.

These include searches in Didcot; Horton-cum-Studley, near Oxford; and Moulsford, near Wallingford.

Chairman Steve Butcher said the charity’s control vehicle had to be taken off the road at the beginning of December, forcing them to run operations from a car or borrowed vehicle.

He said: “We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the Powles family.

“We never expect anything from people, as our entire purpose is to help in the search for vulnerable people in Oxfordshire.

“But the family’s wonderful donation has gone a long way towards helping us do our job, and we are extremely grateful to them.”

l For details about how to donate or join the team as a volunteer, go to isis-sar.org.uk dhearn@oxfordmail.co.uk