Berkshire Lowland Search & Rescue Team (BLSAR)

What Berkshire Lowland Search & Rescue Team (BLSAR) does

Berkshire Lowland Search & Rescue Team (BLSAR) is a UK-registered volunteer charity (Charitable Incorporated Organisation, charity no. 1202260) that provides free, round-the-clock search and rescue services across the county of Berkshire. Founded in 1979 as South East Berkshire Emergency Volunteers (SEBEV) during the Cold War and rebranded to its current Lowland Rescue mission in 1995, BLSAR is the oldest Lowland Rescue team in the UK. Its statutory tasking partner is Thames Valley Police, for whom it locates high-risk missing persons, including vulnerable adults, children, persons with dementia, and despondent individuals, across urban, rural, and water environments. Through a 2023 Memorandum of Understanding with Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service, the team also provides drone aerial surveillance and water rescue support for fires, floods, and major incidents.

The operational platform is built around four interlocking disciplines: a foot search capability fielded by over 70 trained Search Technicians organised in teams of four-plus; a drone search capability currently anchored by three DJI Matrice 4T thermal imaging drones with live streaming to the mobile Incident Control Unit (ICU); a water search capability comprising two rescue boats, an underwater camera, and a Hummingbird Sonar Helix 15 with 360-degree imaging; and a bike search capability for rapid area coverage. All operational personnel are trained to standards set by the national governing body Lowland Rescue, with water rescue personnel certified to DEFRA MOD 2 and MOD 3 standards and drone pilots holding A2 CofC and GVC qualifications under CAA regulations. A bespoke resource-management application, the Cube app developed in-house by long-serving volunteer Kris Manning, is used across multiple rescue teams during live callouts.

BLSAR operates a donation- and fundraising-led economic model with no statutory government funding. Approximately £40,000 per year is required to sustain operations, with another £250 needed per volunteer for personal kit. Revenue streams include charitable donations processed via the Charities Aid Foundation (with Gift Aid uplift), grant funding from bodies such as the Morrisons Foundation and Benefact Group, contributions from the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, fee-based event marshalling and safety services, and passive income partnerships with Easyfundraising and West Berkshire Lottery. In 2023 the team responded to 74 callouts, contributing 808 volunteer hours to live operations and accumulating 11,495 total volunteer hours across training, fundraising, and operations.

Name

Berkshire Lowland Search & Rescue Team (BLSAR)

Legal name

Berkshire Lowland Search and Rescue (CIO)

Website

https://berkshirerescue.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Short description

UK volunteer charity BLSAR provides free 24/7 search and rescue services for Thames Valley Police across Berkshire. Founded in 1979, the oldest Lowland Rescue team in the UK, it locates high-risk missing persons using foot, drone, water, and bike teams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Search and Rescue Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

akta.pro primary industry

Search & Rescue (Urban/Water/Wilderness) Coordination (HLAJAGAJ)

Keywords

• Lowland search rescue
• Volunteer emergency response
• Missing person search
• Swift water rescue
• Aerial thermal imaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Wokingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: 100% of donations go directly toward funding life-saving equipment, training and search operations. Donations processed safely through The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). Gift Aid boost available for UK taxpayers increasing donation by 25%.
2. Fundraising Events: The organization holds and participates in fundraising events including charity triathlons, skydives, and community events. Event services are also provided to external events generating both funds and community awareness.
3. Event Marshalling and Safety Services: BLSAR provides professional event marshalling, stewarding, medical cover, and safety support for public events. This generates essential funding while enhancing event safety and community engagement.
4. Third-party Fundraising Platforms: Partnership with Easyfundraising (7,000+ brands donate part of purchases) and West Berkshire Lottery (weekly lottery with 50p per £1 ticket donated).
5. Grant Funding: Periodic grants from organizations such as Morrisons Foundation (sonar equipment), Benefact Group Movement For Good (£1,000), and Police and Crime Commissioner funding supporting running costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

BLSAR is a volunteer-led charitable organisation that provides free 24/7 search and rescue services across Berkshire, acting as the official search resource for Thames Valley Police. It deploys foot, water, drone, and bike search teams, supported by a mobile Incident Control Unit, to locate high-risk missing persons including vulnerable adults, children, persons with dementia, and despondent individuals in urban, rural, and water environments.

Product overview

Berkshire Lowland Search & Rescue (BLSAR) operates as a unified emergency response service offering multiple interconnected search and rescue capabilities. The core portfolio consists of Foot Search Teams (primary ground-based resource), Drone Search Teams (aerial support using DJI Matrice 4T thermal imaging drones), Water Search Teams (with two rescue boats, sonar, and underwater cameras), and Bike Search Teams. The Incident Control Unit (ICU) serves as the mobile command centre coordinating all operations. BLSAR also provides event marshalling services for community fundraising. The organization transitioned to CIO status in 2023 and recently upgraded its drone fleet to DJI Matrice 4T while acquiring the Hummingbird Sonar Helix 15 for water searches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foot Search Team Ground-based systematic search service deploying 70+ trained Search Technicians in teams of four or more (Team Leader, Communications, Navigation, Medic) for high-risk missing persons across urban, rural, and remote environments in Berkshire.
• Drone Search Team Aerial search and survey service using three high-spec DJI Matrice 4T drones with thermal imaging and 16x optical zoom for rapid comprehensive searches over large areas, day or night, with live streaming to the Incident Control Unit and partner emergency responders.
• Water Search Team Specialist water rescue service with two rescue boats, rescue sled, side scan sonar, underwater cameras, and DEFRA MOD 1/2/3 trained personnel (Bank Search Technicians, Water Rescue First Responders, Swift Water Rescue Technicians) for flood response and water-related emergencies.
• Bike Search Team

Quantifiable outcome

• 74 callouts responded to in 2023 with 808 volunteer hours
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service (RBFRS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2023 provides RBFRS with direct access to BLSAR's drone and water rescue capabilities through their dedicated control room. BLSAR supports RBFRS during building fires, wildfires, flooding, and major incidents. RBFRS provides training venues and host recognition events.
• Thames Valley PolicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary statutory partner for whom BLSAR serves as official search and rescue team supporting TVP in Berkshire. BLSAR is the designated primary search resource for high-risk missing persons across the TVP jurisdiction.
• Lowland RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentral governing body overseeing all regional Lowland Search and Rescue groups. Sets national standards and protocols under which BLSAR and all other county teams must operate. BLSAR operational members trained to these national standards.
• South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-agency partner in search and rescue operations. BLSAR provides initial medical care during searches before handing over to SCAS for transport and hospital care.
• Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum (TVLRF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership forum for coordinated civil contingency response. BLSAR is a Category 1 Responder Support Organisation under 2004 Civil Contingencies Act. Provided Covid-19 pandemic support through TVLRF coordination.
• Englefield EstateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecured area of restored healthland on the estate for drone training. Terrain offers ideal mixture of water, heath, shrub and mature trees for pilot and spotter training and search exercises. Estate manages 14,000 acres in West Berkshire and Hampshire.
• Horseshoe Lake Activity Centre SandhurstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided use of facilities for operational boat trials to familiarise water team with new boat handling, manoeuvring and capabilities.
• Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)coreTechnology or IntegrationProcesses all charitable donations securely through CAF Donate platform. Ensures donations go exactly where needed and handles Gift Aid processing for UK taxpayers.
• Berkshire Search & Rescue DogsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative search partner for major searches requiring additional capabilities. Joint operations for missing person searches.
• Oxfordshire Search & RescueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighbouring county SAR team for collaborative searches and mutual support across force boundaries. Assisted in Operation Caleo 3 and major Donnington search.
• Buckinghamshire Search & RescueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThames Valley SAR partner for joint operations across county boundaries when required for extensive searches.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Oxfordshire Search & Rescue: Neighbouring county Lowland Rescue team operating in the same Thames Valley footprint with comparable foot, drone and water search capabilities; BLSAR has previously collaborated with them on major operations (e.g., Operation Caleo 3).
• Buckinghamshire Search & Rescue: Thames Valley partner Lowland Rescue team providing mutual aid across county boundaries; deploys the same Lowland Rescue national standards and protocols as BLSAR for high-risk missing person searches.
• Surrey Search & Rescue: County-level Lowland Rescue team serving Surrey Police with foot search, drone and water rescue capabilities; highly comparable in scope, training standards and statutory customer profile to BLSAR.
• Kent Search and Rescue: Established Lowland Rescue team serving Kent Police; deploys multi-disciplinary search teams and drones, and shares the same national Lowland Rescue standards framework as BLSAR.
• SARA - Severn Area Rescue Association: Multi-county volunteer SAR charity operating across the Severn region with comparable foot, water and aerial search capabilities; very similar volunteer-led, donation-funded operating model to BLSAR.
• Essex Search and Rescue: County-level Lowland Rescue team supporting Essex Police with foot, drone and water rescue teams; highly comparable in structure, training pipeline and statutory customer relationships to BLSAR.

Regional players

• Hampshire Search and Rescue: Regional Lowland Rescue team in the same South East of England ecosystem, offering similar foot, drone and water search services to its police force; comparable volunteer-led charity model and equipment footprint to BLSAR.

Broad incumbents

• Mountain Rescue England and Wales: National umbrella for volunteer mountain rescue teams; broader remit focused on upland/remote terrain, but overlapping volunteer SAR ethos, training standards and statutory partnerships that make it a useful broad incumbent comparator for BLSAR.
• RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution): Large UK charity providing lifeboat and water rescue services; overlaps with BLSAR's water search and rescue capability (boats, sonar, swift water rescue) but operates at national scale with paid crew and a much larger donation-funded budget.

Emerging players

• Berkshire Search & Rescue Dogs: Specialist SAR dog handler charity collaborating with BLSAR on major missing person searches; operates in the same Berkshire geography with a narrower (canine) capability set, making it a complementary emerging peer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BLSAR-Team
• Facebookfacebook.com/Berkshire.Search.and.Rescue
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berkshire-lowland-search-and-rescue-team
• Instagraminstagram.com/blsar

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Berkshire Lowland Search & Rescue Team (BLSAR)