OXFORDSHIRE Lowland Search and Rescue (OxSAR) is one of seven lowland rescue teams to secure more than £100k in funding from the Department for Transport.

OxSAR has been awarded about £12,000 out of the £100,000, which will be used to support the charity's running costs.

It comes after the Government decided to award nearly £1 million to 51 UK charities to support water rescue service in communities.

The scheme gives voluntary groups cash for new equipment and training to support rescue efforts near waterways.

Chairman Pat Conafray said the extra funding was "fantastic" for the charity.

He added: "It's a great amount of money that we were able to receive and it will help us a lot as a charity.

"It costs a lot of money to run the boats and train people to be able to carry out water searches, which we do a lot of.

"It will also go on dry suits and other equipment which is great."

The group invited anyone who would like to help them search for missing people to sign up as a volunteer.

New recruits are trained to understand the behaviour of people who go missing, navigation, search skills, first aid and the use of radio communications.

In years gone by the crew have been praised for the efforts across the county.

Christopher Powles, who joined 30 volunteers from OxSAR and worked through the night after mum Ann Powles and her dog disappeared before Christmas 2010, said he was humbled by their "fantastic" efforts.

His mother's body was later found on December 22 2010 underneath ice in the River Cherwell, at Sunnymead, North Oxford, along with her border terrier Jumbo. She was thought to have died of heart failure.