In September of this year I travelled to Kos as part of a team searching for missing toddler, Ben Needham. Assisting with that search were members from the Kos Hellenic Rescue Team.

Made up entirely of volunteers, they worked tirelessly alongside officers towards finding answers for Ben’s family about what happened to him 25 years ago.

Members of the team, including teachers, firefighters and lifeguards, would often join the search after or before their full time job, in some cases working around the clock.

Their commitment to the search and the incredible work they do really struck a chord with me and the dedication they show each day is truly phenomenal.

The team are on-call day and night responding emergencies such as earthquakes, missing people and water rescues.

They don’t receive any government funding and rely solely on public donations to be able to continue carrying out their vital, lifesaving work.

A lot of the time, the incidents they respond to are tourists who get in to difficulty while on holiday in Kos. The team have saved the lives of countless people and continue to do so, all at a moment’s notice.

They really are incredible people who have moved me and my colleagues with the stories of their work and just by seeing how committed they are to what they do.

After spending the past few weeks with them, seeing their HQ and their rescue van, I felt compelled to do whatever I could to help and support them.

In April, I’ll be taking on the iconic Boston Marathon for the team, with the hope of raising as much money as I can and getting a PB time.

The money raised will be given to the team, who can then buy the essential equipment they need to continue saving lives.