A son has donated medical equipment to a volunteer search and rescue team who helped when his mother went missing.

Trevor Thurlow has donated a new medical pack to the Sussex Lowland Search and Rescue (SusSAR) Team.

Dorothy Thurlow, 82, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, went missing while walking with her husband in March.

He fell down a ditch and when he emerged, she had gone.

SusSAR was called in by Sussex Police and supplied 16 search technicians and one air-scenting dog team from Lowland Search Dogs.

The team covered about two square miles of terrain between East Preston and Ferring, including dangerous drainage ditches, ponds and ploughed fields in the search for Mrs Thurlow or any items she was carrying.

Mrs Thurlow was found six and a half hours later by an off-duty police officer returning home from work, who recognised her from her description. She was four and a half kilometres away, on the seafront walking towards Worthing.

Mr Thurlow said: "I thought all my birthdays had come at once when I got the phone call telling me she had been found."

Steve Cranswick, chairman of SusSAR, added: "We are extremely grateful to Mr Thurlow for the generous donation he had made for the team and his willingness to carry out fund-raising events for us in the future.

"An incident such as this proves how valuable SusSAR can be. We are glad Mrs Thurlow was found safe and well."

SusSAR was first formed in June 2002 to assist Sussex Police in their searches for missing persons.

SusSAR volunteers are on call 24 hours a day, seven day a week and can be called to attend a search anywhere in Sussex.

The team has also been called to help other search and rescue teams from neighbouring counties, including South-East Berkshire.

To make a donation, please send a cheque, made payable to SusSAR, to SusSAR, c/o Chichester Police Station, Kingsham Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8AD.

For more information, visit www.sussar.org or call 0845 6070999 ext 15250.