Hello – I hope you are well…..

I thought it would be a nice idea to combine my enjoyment of
running with raising funds for Search & Rescue Dogs Association IoM.

As such, I’m running Hadrian's Wall which connects the west
coast of England to Newcastle, a distance of 84 miles or three marathons over three consecutive days (14th, 15th & 16th October 2022).

Janet, my wife, has “volunteered” to be chief support – an unenviable
task indeed for her!!

A few things I would like to point out:

• Please be assured I am fully aware of the
  difficult economic climate we all currently face, this is not lost on me…..
• Whilst the charity is Isle of Man centric and
  funds raised will support the IoM team, I am aware my appeal is going out to
  the wider community. In this regard I would just add that we are a member of
  the National Search and Rescue Dog Association who are geographically spread
  across the UK.
• To maintain the service we offer, we solely rely
  upon generous donations from the public, and local business.

Below is an extract I wrote when asked by my employer as
to why I became a member of SARDA.

The Search & Rescue Dog Association (SARDA IoM) is
a Manx Registered Charity and is a full member of the National Search &
Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA). It was formed in 2004 as a voluntary
organisation to provide highly trained Search & Rescue Dogs to the Island’s
emergency services.

In essence, we are unpaid volunteers of the Isle of Man
Emergency Services and have a unique role within the IoM Search & Rescue
group who are also members of the Mountain Rescue Council of England and Wales.

We are a small team of three search dogs, two trainee
search dogs, their handlers, navigators and very patient and tolerant dogs
bodies (who patiently hide away in often grim weather conditions). When
requested we are tasked to respond to police requests to search for people who
have gone missing on the island.

The dogs, Ruby, Matt and Holly are simply amazing. The
initial training of a dog takes two years (this is the stage where trainee
search dogs Steve and Mop are currently at and making exceptional progress).
The dogs are then assessed on an ongoing basis by external assessors, thus
maintaining the extremely high standards required. In allowing the dogs to
develop we train, as a team twice a week, on Tuesday evening and Sunday
mornings.

As a navigator in the team, my role is to assist the dog
handler with detailed coverage of the designated boundary tasked to search as
well as an additional pair of eyes.

Call outs are received from the police and can be at any
time. It is however a fact that we most often receive a call for assistance in
the middle of the night and often in inclement weather. The search landscape is
also varied and could be urban, woodland, beaches, hillsides or industrial and
housing estates.

The request for our help is also varied and, occasionally,
it is true that some people simply don’t want to be found which can be
challenging on many levels for the team.

Personally, I am both proud and humbled by the
selflessness and intelligence of the dogs. I am in awe of the immense amount of
time, patience and work of the handlers in ensuring the dogs are trained to the
demanding standards required.

Emotionally, there is simply nothing more satisfying upon
the conclusion of a successful search where loved ones are reunited.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.