Kent Search and Rescue was recently presented with a grant from the Kent Mark Benevolent Fund (KMBF) of £7,523.43 to replace and upgrade its drone with a brand new state-of-the-art DJI Matrice 4TD. A number of KMBF Trustees accompanied our Provincial Grand Master Martyn Summers and Lead Trustee Dr John Shervington, who was delighted to present the cheque to Barry Doggett, KSAR’s Deputy Head of Unit.
Based at the Kent Police Headquarters in Maidstone, Kent Search And Rescue is manned 100% by volunteers who are provided with extensive training and make themselves available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They receive no reward, payment or expenses for anything they do. Their reward is the satisfaction of doing something highly valuable to help others in their community, return missing persons back to their families and save a life from time to time.
A few of the amazing Kent Search & Rescue Volunteers along with KMBF representatives L-R Alan Short, Martyn Summers – Prov.G.M.,
John Shervington – Lead Trustee, Paul Settle and Robin Evans (behind the camera!).
The new drone is managed by Steve Gore, Drone Team Lead (second from right holding the drone) which comes with an all important second screen. Steve told Martyn and the trustees about how “This new drone will assist the whole team in supporting our communities by helping Kent Police to search for members of the public that are missing and considered vulnerable and high risk, in order to find them as quickly as possible and rescue them to a place of safety. Additionally, this drone can also be used by Kent Police and Kent Fire and Rescue Service when their drones are not available or they need additional support.” He explained that “The DJI Matrice 4TD is an advanced commercial quadcopter, built for security inspections and challenging climate recovery operations. It features a multi-sensor payload including an AI high-resolution thermal imaging camera and precision laser rangefinder.”
Barry Doggett, added “We are indebted to the KMBF for this generous donation. Our existing drone’s batteries were nearing the end of their serviceable life and we were looking to replace them. But, with the KMBF’s help we have been able to purchase a new drone with greater capability and flexibility, and even a second screen which enables third-party support from our control vehicle.”
This donation to Kent Search & Rescue, is the third of three sizeable grants under the Provincial Grand Master’s Charity Challenge initiative, announced at his Installation in September 2025, the first two were for £2,500 each to Odyssey and the Young Lives Foundation. In total, the three donations have exceeded £12,500.