EXMOOR Search and Rescue is celebrating 30 years of service in Somerset and Devon.

The team comprises 30 operational team members, as well as trainees and supporters who all volunteer in addition to their day jobs.

ESRT started in 1992 with a caravan as a control vehicle kept on someone’s drive and little else but a will to help police searching for missing and vulnerable people and returning them to a place of safety.

This core aim still stands, but the equipment and technology have moved on.

The team now has four vehicles each with different and vital capabilities, based at its rescue centre in South Molton and Taunton Fire Station.

The organisation has a full water capability, a motorboat and four drones, one with thermal imagery.

The volunteers train regularly to maintain the skill necessary to offer assistance to Devon and Cornwall and Avon and Somerset police as their patch extends from Bridgwater to Yeovil, Tiverton to Bude.

The demands on the team’s time and expertise have grown exponentially.

Search manager and team member of 25 years Phil Sparks said: “When I first joined the team, we would get around 10 callouts a year, largely for missing persons, while in the last year we had 54 callouts.

"We still deal with missing persons most of the time, but in addition have had ambulance assists to injured walkers and riders, evacuations for a gas leak, welfare checks across the moor during Storm Eunice and unfortunately body recoveries.”

Chairman Caroline Young said: “The 30th year has been a really busy year for the team, on top of our day-to-day team operations, running the charity and fundraising, we have wanted to mark the team’s birthday in style.

"We have had a whole range of events throughout our 30th year, in addition to setting ourselves the challenging target to raise £30,000 for 30 years.

"It costs around £25,000 a year to run the team so we wanted to push ourselves this year."

Fundraising initiatives have included running the 30 miles of the Exmoor Perambulation, completing the Ham and Lyme ultra-marathon and cycling 30k for 30 days before work.

A black tie dinner with guest speaker Alan Hinks is taking place on Friday, October 21 and there is an open day at the South Molton rescue centre the following day from 11am to 4pm.

For further details and to fundraise visit www.gofundme.com/f/30k-for-30-years-service?qid=30b5eb2843799064b7c5c5860806ecef