WILTSHIRE SEARCH and Rescue (WILSAR) has a new incident support vehicle thanks to donations of £13,000.

The vehicle will act as the vital control room during searches for vulnerable and missing people.

SSEN (Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks) and Wiltshire Community Foundation awarded £10,000 from its Resilient Communities Fund towards the charity’s new vehicle.

Wiltshire Community Foundation donated a further £3,000 made up of money from the High Sheriff of Wiltshire’s endowment fund and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Grant Fund.

Adrian Edwards, the chairman of WILSAR, said: “This Incident Support Unit vehicle will transform our search capability and allow us to work smarter and be more efficient. At the moment we have one van that we keep all our equipment so there is hardly room to turn around in it. Having a second vehicle will allow us to use it as an operations centre and also for team welfare. It will make so much difference and we are very grateful to everyone who has helped us to purchase it. Thank you for your ongoing support of our team and our work.”

The Wiltshire Search and Rescue team is made up of trained volunteers who are called out by Wiltshire Police to search for missing and vulnerable people, such as people with dementia or people in mental health crisis.

This year, the team has been called out more than 50 times.

Angus Macpherson, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, said: “Wiltshire Search and Rescue volunteers are invaluable to Wiltshire Police, and to the residents of this county, so I am delighted to have supported them with this financial contribution.

“The Wiltshire Search and Rescue team has been called upon numerous times to bolster the efforts of our own officers when vulnerable, and missing people, need them the most. We are grateful for their dedication and expertise, especially when they are often mobilising at short notice.”

Gareth Shields, of SSEN, said: “Despite receiving many very good applications, our panel recognised the vital work that Wiltshire Search and Rescue does and decided to make an award. We are pleased to be able to support the team and organisations like them through our Resilient Communities Fund.”

The vehicle is in need of a name, send suggestions via Facebook (@wilsarteam), Twitter (@WiltshireSAR) or email pr@wilsar.org.uk before October 30. The winning name will be displayed on the vehicle.