Fundraiser launched for group that searched for Margaret Smith
Margaret Smith, 87. - Credit: Supplied by Murray Smith
An online fundraiser has been launched for a voluntary group that played a role in the search for Margaret Smith.
A search operation was launched after the 87-year-old grandmother went missing from her care home in Swanton Morley on Sunday evening (July 13) and she was sadly found dead two days later.
Emergency services were joined by the Army and hundreds of volunteers on the Monday and Tuesday to scour the area around where she lived.
Melanie Share, who lives in the nearby village of Beetley, has launched the fundraiser on www.justgiving.com to benefit the voluntary group Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue - which was also part of the effort - and its counterpart group in Suffolk.
Just hours after it was launched, the fundraiser was already nearing its target of £900.
Miss Share, 33, said she was touched by the support that had already shown for the appeal.
A support worker, Miss Share said: "I wanted to go and buy some flowers to lay to pay my respects but thought in this weather they wouldn't last long, so I’ve set up this page for anyone who would like an alternative to flowers and thought Norfolk and Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue (NORLSAR and SULSAR) would really benefit from the financial support and would help other people missing in the future."
Miss Share said she was among those who were looking for Mrs Smith until late on Monday evening.
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"Many of us in the community turned out to support the police and Norfolk and Suffolk Lowland Rescue," she said. "There was an amazing sense of community spirit."
Upon hearing the news, Mrs Smith's family reached out on social media to thank those who had joined in the search for her.
Mrs Smith's son, Murray Smith, said on Twitter: "Thanks to everyone on Twitter who retweeted my appeal for help and subsequent messages of support."
Jayne Smith, Mrs Smith's daughter-in-law, wrote on Facebook: "Sadly the body of my mother in law, Margaret Smith has been found this afternoon."
The fundraiser for the search groups can be found online at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/margaretsmith
