A Cambridgeshire housebuilder has donated £1,708 to support local emergency services in increasing their capability for unexpected water responses.

Redrow South Midlands donated funds to Cambridgeshire Search and Rescue (CamSAR), a charity that is called upon to assist the police with missing person searches across the county.

The funds have been used to buy two kayaks which will be used by the team in their searches for missing people.

The kayaks will also be used in flood response capabilities as well as supporting the charity’s bank search teams.

As the organisation is a charity run by team members that are all volunteers, they rely entirely upon donations to maintain their vital service.

Barry Carter, chair and search manager of Cambridgeshire SAR, said: “This is such a fantastic donation for us as it will have a huge impact on the service we can offer in both search and flood rescue situations.

“As a charity, we rely on kind donations such as this to enable us to keep providing our service to the police and those needing the support of a trained search and rescue team in our region. Thank you, Redrow.”

Andrew Newman, head of sales for Redrow South Midlands, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Cambridgeshire Search and Rescue with the incredible service they offer for the local community.

“The support that the charity provides ensures that people in Cambridgeshire can feel safe in the outdoors and continue to enjoy our beautiful countryside. 

“We know that with increased flooding in recent years, Cambridgeshire SAR are being called upon more than ever to offer a lifeline, so we hope that our contribution can help make a real difference.

“As members of the Cambridgeshire community, we want to create and support thriving communities in and around the developments where we are building new homes, and supporting Cambridgeshire SAR was a wonderful opportunity to do just that.”