Tipperary Search and Rescue Group in plea for support to keep crucial services on the road

The people of Tipperary will get an opportunity to show their appreciation for a group of people who provide a crucial emergency service on a voluntary basis.
On Saturday, June  26 the members of the Tipperary Search and Rescue Group will cycle the length of the county to raise much-needed funds in a bid to ensure the service continues to function.
The team are hopeful that the people of Tipperary will come out in force to support the cause by donating on the day when they see the cycle coming through the towns of Tipperary.
The cycle will take place on June  26 starting in Nenagh at 9am and finishing up in Clonmel at around 3pm. The cycle will pass through Thurles, Cashel and Cahir.
At the moment, only the seventeen or so volunteers involved in the provision of the service will take part but if Covid restrictions are lifted further they may be able to invite cycling clubs and others to participate.
The funds raised will go to back up the running of the Tipperary Search and Rescue Group and the North Tipperary Hospice.
“We want the public to feel part of this important event. They can come out on the day and show their support as we cycle through the towns and they can also donate online,” said Tom Harvey, Chairperson of the Search and Rescue Group.
The search and rescue group covers all of the county on land and water .
“The last year has been a huge struggle for us, like it has been for a lot of voluntary groups.
“The normal opportunities we avail of to raise funds were not available to us. We had no church gate collections and no street collections due to Covid so this fundraising campaign is of huge importance to the service and our desire to keep it on the road,” said Tom.
The group was founded seven years ago and they work closely with SEMRA and the Civil Defence.
“We started off as a land rescue organisation and over the last four years we have expanded into providing a service on water and we could end up in any part of the country at times,” said the group leader.
“We are a lowland rescue service, on land and on water,” he said.
“We have the experience on the water now after the last four years and we have our own swift water rescue team and two rescue boats,” said Tom.
At the moment the Tipperary Search and Rescue Group are in the middle of a recruitment drive in the Clonmel area and would welcome new members who would like to join the team.
“Having a strong membership in such a big urban area like Clonmel would make a big difference to the group and it would be a great addition to have in terms of improving response times for all parts of the county,” said Tom. “We very much want to keep these services up and running and the support of the public is crucial especially so at this time given the disruption over the last year. We are delighted to be able to raise funds for such an important cause as North Tipp Hospice on the day as well. They do incredible work for so many families and on the day we need all the support possible,” added Tom.