PRESS RELEASE

SEBEV Search & Rescue Team (Berkshire)

“Jumping into action for SEBEV Search & Rescue”

Date:                30-01-11

SEBEV Ref:     300111-1

On March 5th, SEBEV member Alex “AJ” Shepherd will be throwing himself out of an airplane to raise funds for SEBEV Search & Rescue. He will be parachute jumping from 13,000 feet in freefall – not in tandem with an instructor – and will be reaching speeds of up to 120mph. The jump will take place at Hinton Airfield just north of Bicester. Alex 21, has been a member of SEBEV since 2009 and has been involved in many callouts for vulnerable missing persons in that time. As SEBEV is funded by charitable donations Alex decided that he could do something to help.

Kris Manning, team Chairman said “We are very proud of AJ. There are not many people who would jump from a perfectly good airplane for charity. It costs over £11,000 per year to provide our life saving service and this comes from donations and sponsors. Rising fuel costs and the recent increase in VAT make it even harder to keep the service running so we are grateful to anybody who can help us raise vital funds.”

Berkshire based SEBEV Search & Rescue is a UK registered charity (no. 1046861) and has been providing services to the Berkshire and Thames Valley communities since 1980. They are the oldest lowland Search & Rescue team in the UK. The main functions of the team are to assist Thames Valley Police in the search for missing persons (such as children and the elderly) in Berkshire and the surrounding counties, and also to provide support for the local authorities and the statutory emergency services during civil emergencies in the area. The team, based at Easthampstead Park in Wokingham, is available 24 hours a day to search for missing persons. The team is made up wholly of unpaid volunteers who manage their time with search & rescue around work and family commitments.

SEBEV Search & Rescue is always recruiting for operational members and also admin support roles such as PR or fundraising that would suit somebody who wants to be involved but doesn’t want to be a fully operational Search Technician. Full training is given and the team meets at their HQ on the Wokingham/Bracknell border every Thursday evening.

Full details are on our website at www.sebev.co.uk or you can email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it