A GRIEVING widow of a missing Stourport man donated hundreds of pounds to a volunteer water rescue crew who helped search for her husband.

Ceri Cooper visited Severn Area Rescue Association’s (SARA) Wyre Forest Station to donate £608 raised from the funeral of her husband Andy.

Mr Cooper was last seen at his home on January 4 this year and, when he didn’t turn up for work a search was launched. But the search ended in tragedy when his body was recovered from the river at Holt Fleet on March 17.

The discovery by the emergency services ended the family’s two month uncertainty.

Mrs Cooper wanted to meet the crew from SARA, which is a Kidderminster-based inshore lifeboat and land search and rescue team run and maintained by a team of 54 volunteer operational crew and supporters, in person and thank them for their efforts as well as presenting a cheque.

Kidderminster station chairman James Bamforth said: “The team had been called to help in the search for Andrew.

“The search came to a tragic conclusion when he was discovered in the river at Holt Fleet.

“Ceri came to the SARA base to thank the crews for their dedication. During the visit Ceri was given a tour of the team’s base at the Kidderminster Fire Station.

“She generously presented a donation in the memory of her husband.

“We are grateful for the kind donation and our thoughts are with Ceri and her family at this difficult time.”

He added that anyone wishing to support SARA can do so via their websites www.sara-wyreforest.org.uk/ or the main SARA site at www.sara-rescue.org.uk