SARA Defender

History

The Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) is an independent lifeboat and land search charity covering the tidal River Severn, the Wye and the Avon from stations between Beachley and Tewkesbury. Its crews launch inflatable lifeboats from road trailers, so the towing vehicles matter as much as the boats: 4x4s that can back a trailer down a slipway or across a flooded field and carry the crew's kit. WX08 LLM is a 2008 Defender 110 in the charity's dark grey with the red and yellow battenburg used by UK rescue services.

The Flickr photograph shows it on a December 2025 training exercise at Tewkesbury with a lifeboat on its trailer: red and yellow battenburg along the doors back to the rear arch with the SARA roundel on the door split and SEARCH & RESCUE lettering above, white SARA panels filling the rear quarters, a roof rack carrying the spare wheel and a rolled awning, an AMBULANCE sign flanked by two spot lamps at the front of the rack, a snorkel on the left A-pillar, yellow and red chevrons and a winch on the front bumper, and silver alloy wheels. The registry model reproduces that vehicle; the boat and trailer are not modelled.

Corrected at review: the door roundel is the Mountain Rescue England & Wales badge (navy ring, peaks and red-and-white cross), yellow bar guards sit over the headlamps, the battenburg continues along the wing above the arch, the rack sits on the roof with a kit box and bag, and the roof carries two spot lamps rather than beacons.

Imagery

Registry record

Manufacturer

Land Rover (Defender 110 station wagon, 2008)

Manufactured

WX08 registration (2008); photographed December 2025

Modifier / coachbuilder

Severn Area Rescue Association (rescue fit and livery)

Engine type

Ford Duratorq 2.4 L TDCi (Puma) turbo-diesel

Production run

1

Country of origin

United Kingdom

Operated in

United Kingdom

Status

in-service

Catalogue data

Record kind

Named model

Model line

Defender

Wheels

4

Nominal wheelbase

110″

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Sources & citations

Researched sources

• SARA Land Rover Defender WX08 LLM at Tewkesbury (Flickr, rogerwasley) ↗ — Flickr (accessed 2026-09-12)
• Mountain Rescue England & Wales / Severn Rescue logo (reviewer-supplied) ↗ — Severn Area Rescue Association (accessed 2026-09-12)

Catalogue references

• https://www.flickr.com/photos/rogerwasley/55009840655/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/rogerwasley/55009840655/ ↗