Glowing Tributes
@SERVE_ON Volunteeers from the @serveonirt International Response Team, the @SalisburyCRT Community Resilience Team, @RescueRookies and @SOK9SAR join with other volunteers in the Operations Room before marshalling the @Glowintheparkuk event @Longleat in aid of @AlabareUK.
It was an extraordinary weekend that showcased everything that is wonderful about Serve On, and gained our volunteers some well-earned tributes.
There was community involvement, diligence, hard-work, can-do attitude, search and rescue skills in abundance, and brilliant team-work by all of our different teams working together and in collaboration with others.
The @SERVE_ON Operations Room for the @Glowintheparkuk event @Longleat in aid of @AlabareUK.
It culminated in an outstanding performance by all in support of the Glow In The Park community event at Longleat.
The hard work started on Friday night with trainers Tony, Garry and Nick giving a series of briefings to International Response Team recruits at the start of another busy training weekend.
Serve On @RescueRookies Ethan and Jazz setting up the @SERVE_ON Operations Room communications mast with Operations manager Craig ready for the @GlowintheparkUK event @Longleat in aid of @AlabareUK.
While the IRT volunteers loaded their technical search equipment ready for an early start the next day, Community Resilience Team volunteers were finishing preparations for marshalling the annual Glow in the Park night event in aid of homelessness charity @AlabareUK.
Members of the K9 team, meanwhile, were getting ready to show off their skills at the Frampton Country Fair in Gloucestershire.
Soon after dawn on Saturday the IRT recruits were on the road to sharpen their search and rescue skills on a rubble pile near Weymouth.
No sooner had they set out than Serve On trustees gathered at the International Response Team's Chilmark HQ to thrash out on-going and future governance and funding of the charity at the annual general meeting - the less glamorous, but equally important side of the charity's work.
On the Isle of Portland, the @SERVE_ON IRT recruits set up a base of operations (BoO), then practised their line searches, void searches and use of technical equipment on collapsed building rubble, plus casualty extraction techniques with expert advice from Jon Penny, (thanks for the photos Clare).
After a productive day, the IRT members returned directly to Longleat in time to join the @SalisburyCRT Community Resilience Team, the @RescueRookies, and James and Molly from the dog team, finalising plans to marshall the Glow In The Park event.
There was even time for grateful Alabare staff to present Serve On Operations Manager Craig with a certificate of appreciation for all the work he and Serve On do for Alabare and the homeless.
He was suitably embarrassed at being unexpectedly ambushed with the well-deserved award.
Some 3,500 people took part in the fun at the 5k @GlowintheparkUK night event @Longleat in aid of @AlabareUK, marshalled by @SERVE_ON and other volunteers.
As ever, the neon-bright, night-time 5k event - the third held in the stunning grounds of Longleat - was great fun for all taking part.
Serve On members combined with staff and volunteers from Alabare, @Longleat, @StJohnAmbulance and @TeamRubiconUK to make sure the 3,500 participants had a safe and enjoyable time and that if any incidents arose they were efficiently dealt with.
There was praise from Alabare and St John Ambulance volunteers for the work of Serve On during the event.
“They did a fantastic job.”
A member of the medical team wrote: "They did a fantastic job and it was great working with them."
He added: "Thanks again for your help and I look forward to working with your team at future events."
Serve On volunteers conducted a post-event search of the Longleat grounds to make sure all of the participants got home safely.
Then, with the fun stuff done - geeing up the runners and walkers as they went round the course - there was time at the end for the CRT, IRT and K9 team volunteers to combine for a final sweep of the park grounds to make sure that all the event’s participants got home safely.
It was all impressively coordinated throughout by Rescue Rookies Ethan and Jazz, coolly manning communications in the operations room.
Serve On volunteers packing up the Operations Room in the early hours after marshalling the @GlowintheparkUK event @Longleat in aid of @AlabareUK.
That just left the small matter of packing up and heading back to base.
Great job, teams!