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North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin visited MonSar at their training base in Pentraeth on Tuesday June 7 to learn more about the organisation and to present their volunteers with Platinum Jubilee medals for their dedicated work on behalf of the emergency services.
MonSar is a voluntary organisation of 35 members and is the first and only Lowland Rescue team in Wales. It undertakes searches for vulnerable missing people and its unpaid workers carry out this service every day of the year.
During the visit, Andy Dunbobbin was informed how the team are called out by North Wales Police to search for ‘high-risk’ missing persons, who may be at risk of suicide, lost or injured or may have dementia or mental health issues.
The organisation was established in 2018 to meet the increasing demand placed on the Force’s Mountain Rescue Teams.
Amongst the other common types of incidents MonSar deals with are ambulance assistance and body recovery.
To date, MonSar has dealt with 65 incidents since its inception and its volunteers have dedicated over 10,000 hours per year on its search and rescue efforts across North Wales.
Andy Dunbobbin was also there to present five of their volunteers with Platinum Jubilee medals, an award given to those who have over five years of working service in the emergency services sector.
Amongst the recipients were:
- Noel Kerr – search manager
- John Dolan – medical advisor
- Allen Ince – rescue team member
- Isabel Hargreaves – mental health/safeguarding trainers
- Nina Roberts – safeguarding lead
The organisation boasts a full fleet of emergency callout vehicles, many of which are ex-police service vans which have been adapted to meet the needs of their service.
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin said: “It was a privilege to attend the MonSar training base in Pentraeth to find out more about their work and to present their volunteers with Platinum Jubilee medals for their hard work.
“I had the chance to meet their volunteers and gain an understanding of how they operate, from how initial calls come in, to the planning process and overall search operation.
“My Police & Crime Plan highlights the need to support communities and deliver safer neighbourhoods and organisations such as MonSar are a great example of these aims in action in the way they provide a rescue service to those with mental health issues or those who are most vulnerable in society.
My thanks go to the team, and I congratulate the recipients of the Platinum Jubilee medals.”
Huw Thomas, MonSar Chair of Management Committee and Team Leader said: “We at MonSar were honoured to welcome the Commissioner to meet us at Pentraeth. It gave us the opportunity to explain the work we do and how our service is vital to North Wales.
“Our volunteers come from all walks of life, and each have something unique to offer. Our team is made up of an ex-paramedic, a retired psychology professor and even two serving police officers, so it goes to show how skilful MonSar volunteers are with dealing with the incidents we face.
“We established MonSar in 2018 to assist North Wales Police with search and rescue operations and the feedback we have received from the force has been positive.
“Having the Commissioner hand out Platinum Jubilee medals to our volunteers today is a testament to the hard work and dedication carried out by our team.”