ON MARCH 22 or 23, the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) is asking people to 'go orange' – the colour of the group's lifeboats – and help raise funds for the life-saving charity.

SARA provides lifeboat and rescue boat cover for the rivers in the Severn and Wye valleys, including the Usk, Monnow and Avon – as well as the rivers Severn and Wye themselves.

The organisation is staffed entirely by volunteers who operate on a pager system, ready to leave their work, their homes, their family and their beds at a moment’s notice to risk their lives to save others.

Formed in 1973, SARA has grown from a small base in Tutshill to a charity with around 200 volunteers, capable of conducting a wide range of rescue operations. But SARA can only continue to operate with public donations.

Find out more by visiting www.go-orange.org.uk/Sara. Encourage your colleagues, friends and schools to wear something orange to help raise awareness and support for the charity.

If every participant donates £1, SARA can raise enough to support their teams with new protective equipment, keep their fleet of boats running, or maintain their launch vehicles for another year.

If you would like SARA to visit your school or workplace to talk about water safety and the charity does, email info@sara-rescue.org.uk