Foyle Search and Rescue attended over 200 incidents in 2020

They have also assisted 93 people in danger of suicide and dealt with over 70 people in extreme distress.

Sadly over the last year, Foyle Search and Rescue volunteers have recovered eight bodies from the river.

The charity’s new chairperson Pat Carlin has offered his condolences to all those families who lost a loved one to suicide in the last year.

He said that the 2020 figures are down around 50 per cent due to ‘footfall’.

”In 2019 we attended 454 incidents and in 2020, up until the first two weeks of December, we attended 203. With the lockdown people have not been out and about as much. However, once the restrictions are lifted and people get out and about again the call outs start increasing again.”

Like many charitable organisations, the Covid pandemic has had a massive impact on Foyle Search and Rescue. They have had to curtail their patrols from Thursday to Saturday, but have maintained a 24 hour emergency response.

There has also been a huge financial impact and Mr Carlin said the charity is down approximately £60,000 on 2019.

“The local community in the city has been fantastic and they haven’t stopped their fundraising despite the difficulties they are going through financially or personally. Because of the reduction in our fundraising activities, with flag days, bucket collections and other activities having to be cancelled, we’re down about £60,000.

“We are very much aware a lot of other organisations are in a similar situation and we have a contingency plan for about 12 -24 months that we can manage. If this situation continued beyond that, it would have a serious effect on us.”

A major cost for the charity at present is purchasing PPE for the volunteers to ensure they are protected whilst out on duty. Training for a new batch of volunteers also had to be put on hold as a result of the pandemic.

Mr Carlin revealed that some current volunteers did contract the virus, with some still recovering. However, they split the emergency responders into three teams, which remain separate to ensure there is always a team available to respond.

The new chairperson thanked all the volunteers, members of the public, statutory agencies and the emergency services for their support in 2020. “Without them we couldn’t do our job.”

(For more turn to page 15.)

**Anyone in distress can contact Lifeline on 08088088000, Samaritans on 116123 or the Community Crisis Intervention Service on 02871262300.