Nith Inshore Rescue hold socially-distant training sessions in freezing river

For many the thought of entering the River Nith at this time of the year is frightful.

But for the Nith Inshore Rescue team’s newest recruits it is the norm as they continue to gain experience.

The volunteers held training on the river recently which also doubles as a refresher for those who have served for a while.

During the pandemic the rescue team has also factored socially-distanced training into their programme.

Team leader Peter Bryden said: “It’s coming up to that time of the year when we get quite a lot of shouts so training like this is good to maintain our practice.

“It’s some good cold water exercise but with Covid-19 that’s caused us some issues.

Tam, Scotland's only drowned victim search dog, with owner and trainer Joanna Toohey. (Jim McEwan)

“So for this training we were socially distancing as much as possible and washed off afterwards.

“We were going through some techniques for our new recruits that we’ve brought in. We’ve got five new recruits in.

“There was training for situations when we get deployed quickly. It’s part of basic competency and it’s good to do it.”

Nith Inshore was also joined by fox red Labrador Tam and owner Joanna Toohey for water-related searches.

Joanna, who is also a member of Nith Inshore, said: “Tam is part of Search and Rescue Dog Association Southern Scotland (SARDA) and I’ve been training him for the last four years along with the help of another trainer.

“With me and Tam having to work with rescue teams it’s a good way for us to keep up with our training. Me and Tam are an additional asset.

“It’s a huge commitment as it takes a lot of training and I keep his training logged but he is a great asset.”