A RESCUE group which has provided a vital 999 service for the last 40 years has received a major financial boost which its controller says will help save lives.

The North Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team, the Okehampton-based part of the Dartmoor Rescue Group, was presented with the money at a recent coffee morning fundraising event at the Okement Centre.

Cheques totaling £300 were received from Gillian Haines-Lawson on behalf of the Cancer Research Starlight Walk, and Kirstin Phippard from the Okehampton Running Club.

Paul Vachon, controller of the NDSRT, said: 'This is a great boost for our fundraising. Without the support from local groups such as these we would have difficulty running the team. We are a charity and totally funded by donations, yet have proved a vital service over the last 40 years.

'On average we respond to 25 incidents each year, and this isn't limited to those lost on Dartmoor. We also help search for missing people in rural areas and are deployed by the Police to assist in the event of heavy snow. We are currently fundraising for a new rescue centre, which we hope to move into in the three years' time.'

The team also helps with many events in the area, including Ten Tors, carnivals, and Edwardian Evening.