Our history

Duddon Inshore Rescue was formed by a group of volunteers in 1969 after a number of deaths in the Duddon Estuary highlighted the need for a water and sand based search and rescue team in the Duddon Estuary. Land was donated to the Inshore Rescue so they could erect their boathouse in 1969 ensuring ease of access to the water and a local base for storage of equipment and training purposes. 

Now....

Duddon Inshore Rescue has continued to grow and develop thanks to the support of our local community and its volunteers who continue to be on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout the year. From the expansion and creation of a training room in 2017 to getting our first quad bike in 1990 we ensure that our equipment is up to date and meets all current standards.

Although our equipment may have changed we have a reliance on the same basics as we did at our first launch back in 1969. We still rely on our tractor to tow the boat and trailer to the water, providing a facility to launch in all weathers and at high or low tide. The tractor has even been used for recovering vehicles stranded on the sands. 

We also use quad bikes to ensure we can reach incidents on the sands in a quick and effective manner and a mobile unit . All our crew members are equipped with the necessary safety equipment to attend rescues from dry suits to life jackets and they carry first aid kits and other relevant items to assist in rescue operations.

Please remember that we are a voluntary organisation manned by a dedicated team of volunteers and funded almost entirely from public donations. Donations of any size are always welcome and help keep our unique services running.