YORK Rescue Boat has announced another local partner as their newest patrons.

The local and independent lifeboat charity, and volunteer and search team in York has announced its newest patrons as the organisers of Yorkshire Balloon Fiesta - John Lowery and Sara Harding.

The charity was one of the three partners sponsored by the Yorkshire Balloon Fiesta during their August Bank Holiday 2021 festival.

Dave Horn, operational director for the York Rescue Boat said "We are so pleased to have John and Sara on board with York Rescue Boat (YRB), and look forward to working alongside them in the future.

"Yorkshire Balloon Fiesta is a huge important fundraising event for YRB and by working closely with John and Sara, we can only continue to raise much needed funds which in turn really does save lives in York".

In 2021, the festival raised a total of £50,000 for their three local charity partners - York Rescue Boat, along with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, and St Leonard's Hospice.

John and Sara are both from Events by Cynosure, and they organise the Yorkshire Balloon Fiesta every year with local charity partners.

John said: "It's a privilege to be asked to be patron of such a great local charity and look forward to helping raise funds necessary"

Sara said: "Having worked with the Rescue Boat as a charity partner for the Yorkshire Balloon Fiesta in 2021, we look forward to working with them not only for the 2022 fiesta but also throughout the year on other projects"

This year's Yorkshire Balloon Fiesta, Yorkshire's biggest hot air balloon festival, is due to be held on York Racecourse at Knavesmire, from Friday, September 23 - Sunday, September 25, 2022, with the line-up waiting to be announced.

York Rescue Boat have worked since 2015 to make the rivers and waterways of York a safer place, by providing volunteers on boat and on foot to patrol the rivers every Friday and Saturday night, as well as having a team on 24/7 call 365 days a year to respond to emergencies alongside the police and fire services.

Just this week, the charity tweeted (January 11) that their voluntary rescue team were called out by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service to reports of someone found in the River Ouse before the person was taken into the care of paramedics.

York Rescue Boat also provides a Defra certified flood and swift water rescue team that not only covers York, but can also be tasked to provide help anywhere in the country - the team were deployed during the flooding in North West England and Wales in January 2021.