THE Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) in Monmouthshire was awarded £221,046 in Government aid to purchase state of the art rescue equipment.

Wales Office Minister Alun Cairns said: "Our search and rescue charities rely on an army of selfless volunteers who regularly put themselves in harms way in extreme weather conditions to save others. They are the unsung heroes of Wales and deserve all the support they can get."

The grants were part of a £750,000 fund to 20 lifeboat charities across the UK. The scheme will provide up to £1 million per annum, this year and over the next four years, for projects that provide equipment for lifesaving charities

Merv Fleming from SARA said, "The grant application we made was to replace SARA1, who is 17 years old and based at Beachley.

"The new boat will be built from the ground up to our own specifications. The job has gone out to tender and we should know who will be building her shortly.

"The process will take about 18 weeks and we hope to have her on the water by early summer."

SARA is an expensive charity to run. They have 16 boats and 16 Land Rover ambulances. The Beachly station alone costs more than £30,000 per year.

"We are fundraising constantly and, although we are delighted to have Government funding for a replacement boat, we still need the public to help us out."