A KIDDERMINSTER estate agent has turned volunteer for a river rescue charity in his spare time after hearing about the work of the Midlands’ answer to the RNLI.

Andrew Hipkiss, who runs Walton & Hipkiss, has become a volunteer for the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) the region's inshore search and rescue organisation covering the Severn estuary, the River Severn and surrounding area.

The 49-year-old father of two, who has been running his family estate agency for nearly 30 years, first got his firm into fundraising for the charity but he was so impressed when he found out more about the cause that he ended up joining.

As well as now acting as a spokesman for the service - which is tasked by HM Coastguard, police, fire and ambulance services to provide a 24/7 search and rescue service for the River Severn and adjoining waterways and river banks - he has also become a volunteer driver for SARA.

He said: "I have only just started with them. I am really on call for the PR side of it but by Easter I think they will want me to go operational."

He has already had a taste of towing the charity's rescue boat but he hasn't yet graduated to driving the response vehicle on blue lights.

He said: "I have only done non-operational stuff but I will have to progress to the river – you have to do a two week course so it looks like I shall be going on the boats and I am looking forward to doing off-road vehicle training."

Andrew, who has also personally built a new website for SARA in Wyre Forest, hopes to use his involvement with the charity to help boost its profile.

He told the Shuttle: "We really need to shout about it. They save lives and not many people to seem to know about it."

The charity, which needs to raise £120,000 each year to run, is the largest independent lifeboat service in the UK - second only to the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) - and all crew members give up their time for free to assist emergency services when their specialist skills are required.

Anyone interested in becoming a member or finding out more about SARA, which has a base at Kidderminster Fire Station, can check out sara-rescue.org.uk or look up Severn Area Rescue Association - Wyre Forest Station on Facebook.

For more information about the Wyre Forest SARA station, visit sara-wyreforest.org.uk.