SARA is an Independent Lifeboat Service covering an area that is not covered by the RNLI.
Please take a moment to read the article by the Guardian.
“Mark Carwardine, deputy executive chairman of the Severn Area Rescue Association (Sara) has had similar experiences. He feels frustrated seeing RNLI fundraisers at work in Chepstow, where the local Sara boat is just two miles away and the nearest RNLI craft is 40 miles by road. “It’s not the fundraisers’ fault,” says Carwardine. “But from our perspective it’s a bit like: we’re the local boat, so perhaps there could be some recognition of that.”
Sara is the biggest independent lifeboat service in the UK. It has four stations and more than 150 volunteers covering the dangerous Severn estuary and surrounding area. Started from a garage in 1973, the rescue service quickly expanded to protect inshore areas not covered by the RNLI. Now, with 18 boats as well as mobile response units for mountain rescue, the service has annual running costs of around £200,000.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/19/the-local-lifeboat-teams-hanging-by-a-thread
