Freemasons donation helping London Search and Rescue

The grant, awarded to London Search and Rescue (LonSAR) by London Freemasons, will go towards covering operational expenses for the charity which supports police-led efforts to find high-risk missing people across the capital.

LonSAR works in support of the Metropolitan and City of London Police, deploying volunteer teams to search for missing people who are considered especially high-risk.

Anna Dean, a senior member of LonSAR’s leadership team, said: "On behalf of everyone at LonSAR, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to London Freemasons for this £10,000 donation. Our volunteers are on call 24/7, and sustaining that capability depends on funding for our operational costs.

"This support means we can bring high-risk missing people home and give families hope during the most difficult time."

The charity is entirely volunteer-run. Each year, more than 42,000 people are reported missing in London, with a significant number classified as highly vulnerable.

Many of those LonSAR is tasked with finding are at risk due to age, dementia, mental health issues, or suicidal intent.

Despite London’s reputation as a densely built city, roughly half the capital consists of parks, commons, and waterways—areas that can make searches particularly complex and resource-intensive.

LonSAR’s volunteers are professionally trained and equipped for searches on land and water, using specialist teams including bikes, drones, and water search units.

Will Clayton, from London Freemasons, said: "We are pleased to be able to continue our support for LonSAR, helping them to continue the very valuable work that they do in supporting high risk, vulnerable, and missing persons within our communities."