Corporate Support

Your business operates in a community served by volunteers who save lives for free.

They are not paid, they are not funded by the government, and they do not even claim expenses.

They rely on people and organisations that understand the value of what they do and choose to help.

We do not decide when to deploy. We are called out by the police, the fire service and the ambulance service, and when we are called the expectation is that we arrive already equipped, already trained to a national standard and already insured.

That is the gap a corporate partner fills. Sustained support is the difference between replacing a set of dry suits at the end of its service life and replacing it after it has failed on a job.

If your company is looking for a charity partnership that is local, tangible and genuinely makes a difference, we would like to talk to you.

A West Mercia Search and Rescue response vehicle beside the River Severn

Why businesses partner with us

The companies that support us do so for a simple reason: they want to invest in something that matters to the community they operate in.

Not a distant cause in another part of the country, and not a faceless national charity where the money disappears into a machine, but a local team of real people who will turn up in their 4x4s and boats when the next flood hits or the next person goes missing.

Our existing corporate partners tell us that the local connection is what made the difference. Their staff can see the vehicles, meet the volunteers and understand what the money funds.

There is a directness to it that larger charities simply cannot offer.

What partnership looks like

Financial sponsorship

Direct funding towards equipment, training, vehicles or operations. Your contribution can be general or earmarked for a specific area of our work, such as sponsoring a night of our winter river patrols.

Employee engagement

We can deliver water safety presentations to your staff, run team challenge days, or provide an insight into what search and rescue involves. Several of our existing volunteers work for companies that actively support their involvement with WMSAR. We can also support payroll giving and employee fundraising, and even host a collection tin on your premises.

Service-in-kind

Not every contribution needs to be financial. We have benefited enormously from businesses providing vehicle servicing, insurance support, accountancy services and other professional expertise. If your company has a capability that we need, there may be a way to work together that benefits both of us.

Charity of the year

Choose WMSAR as your company’s charity partner for the year. We will provide all the materials, support and engagement you need to make it a success, from branded assets to volunteer visits to your workplace.

Sponsorship levels

We recognise our corporate supporters through a tiered sponsorship scheme, so that whatever the size of your business, there is a way to be part of what we do.