THE first phase of a new life-saving rescue service to cover the notorious Morecambe Bay stretch near Ulverston could be up and running within weeks.

Ulverston Inshore Rescue was formed last year following the tragedy when Stewart Rushton, 51, and his nine-year-old son, Adam, from Dalton-in-Furness, become disorientated in thick fog off Priory Point near Bardsea and drowned.

The group, which consists of 18-volunteers including Ulverston town councillors and members of the public, launched a fund-raising campaign the week before Christmas to raise £50,000. The money will cover the cost of building the rescue station on a disused car park, owned by GlaxoSmithKline, and buy the craft.

The amount raised has just topped £22,500 so the group is hoping to get the first stage of the operation up and running within weeks. It will include rescuing people from the sands who are in danger of getting cut off by the tide.

Treasurer Coun Stan Lewis said the group had slightly underestimated the cost of setting up the rescue service and now had a target of £60,000.

"Considering we only started just before Christmas we have had quite a good response as we are almost half-way there. Most of the money has come from funding charities I have written to around the country.

"We are carefully planning everything to make sure that we do it properly and have been commended by the coastguard for taking our time and not rushing it, but the first phase could be operational within weeks."

The group plans to set up the rescue service in three phases. The first phase will cover plucking people from the sands who get into trouble and could soon be cut off by the tide.

The team is considering using a quad bike or a specialised eight-wheel vehicle to carry out the rescue work on the sands. The members are already receiving first aid training and working closely with the coastguard.

"The rescue team will be alerted by the coastguard or they could see people getting into danger, as we are considering doing patrols of the coastline during busy times," said Coun Lewis.

The cost to get phase one operational will be about £21,400 and this will also pay for two containers to be built on the disused car park to be used by the nine-rescuers and one to house a small inflatable life raft.

The second phase of the scheme, costing about £4,500, will be a device which pumps water around the feet of people stuck in quicksand to free them.

The third phase will be for a rescue craft that complies with regulations set by the coastguard, which are currently being updated. The cost and type of the craft is not yet known.

Anyone who would like to make a donation to Ulverston Inshore Rescue can send cheques to Coun Lewis at 14, Chittery Lane, Ulverston, LA12 7DP.

May 29, 2003 15:30