A VOLUNTEER search and rescue team has practised scouring the countryside at Blenheim Palace.
Oxfordshire Lowland Search and Rescue honed their skills looking for people around the lake at the Woodstock stately home this week.
The charity, which is made up of about 30 volunteers, helps police locate missing persons – from dementia patients to ‘fear for welfare’ cases.
The volunteers are trained in search techniques, basic life support, navigation and communications and practise every week.
The team has also recently undergone training that allows them to help the fire service rescue people from floods.
Treasurer Peter Wylie, 63, from Oxford, said: “It was very good practice for all of us.
“We can do urban searches and woodland searches, but what was good about Blenheim was the ability to search near water.”
He added: “As a volunteer, I think the search and rescue service is absolutely vital.
“We are a resource available to the police.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here