A MARRIED man who tried to throw himself off cliffs has paid tribute to lifesavers who rescued him in darkness.

The man in his 50s, who wants to remain anonymous, has said a big thanks to volunteers at the Severn Area Rescue Association at Beachley after making a recovery from the January incident, when he was rescued close to Wintours Leap, near Woodcroft, and airlifted to hospital.

He said: “By January 2019, I had been suffering from severe anxiety and depression for several months, and this led to me attempting to commit suicide by jumping off the 80m high cliffs at Woodcroft Quarry in the Lower Wye Valley.

“With some incredible luck and fantastic support, I survived and am now delighted to be on the road to recovery.

“One of the reasons I’ve survived is undoubtedly due to the rescue operation carried out by SARA.

“On being contacted by the police, a group of SARA volunteers searched for and located me in the quarry, then co-ordinated my evacuation by Coastguard helicopter to Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

“I didn’t know much about SARA, but omy wife and I (later) had the pleasure of meeting those SARA volunteers who were involved in my rescue. “What I learnt on this visit is that SARA is completely funded by charity and staffed solely by volunteers, who give up a significant proportion of their free time every week to train in rescue techniques.

“Meeting the team and discussing the rescue showed us that SARA is a really professional, well-run rescue organisation, one that is probably not usually thought about by the general public.

“I feel immense gratitude and admiration for these volunteers who commit their time and knowledge to help strangers who end up in difficult circumstances, and their families who support them to do so.”

Rescue teams were scrambled to Woodcroft Quarry after being alerted that the man had fallen from cliffs in darkness at 8pm on January 25.

The land and rope team from SARA’s Beachely base were among those who helped locate the 52-year-old casualty, who was airlifted out by the Coastguard helicopter.