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£15,000 raised so far for Bristol air ambulance appeal

Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 14:07

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Supporters have raised more than £15,000 for Bristol's air ambulance since the launch of an appeal.

The Filton-based helicopter service was set up in June to provide cover for Bristol, Bath and the surrounding area and has already flown to more than 300 missions.

Specialist paramedics and emergency doctors treat patients at the scene of incidents before they are taken to hospital if necessary.

Paramedics, drugs and some equipment are paid for by the ambulance service but an extra £1.3 million a year is needed to keep the life-saving service flying.

In October the Bristol Post launched its Sky's the Limit appeal to help the charity and donations have poured in.

Employees from the Bristol office of accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP visited the Filton Airport base of Great Western Air Ambulance (GWAA) to hand over more than £2,000. They raised money at their winter ball.

Peter James and Ruth Barton, the two managers who organised the ball, said: "PricewaterhouseCoopers is proud to support such a worthy local charity. We hope other businesses and individuals will give generously to keep this lifeline operating."

Chief executive of the GWAA charity, Paul Weir, said: "My deepest thanks go to the employees of PricewaterhouseCoopers for their support and generosity.

"This donation will go a long way in supporting our team so we can continue providing an outstanding service for the community."

Law firm Lyons Davidson is a corporate sponsor of the charity and handed over £5,000 to Mr Weir as part of their continued support.

Richard Charles, the firm's personal injury expert, said: "We are proud to support the tremendous work the air ambulance service does.

"The early availability of medical treatment to victims of trauma not only saves lives but also can have a great effect on minimising long-term disability. Our specialist catastrophic injury lawyers work very closely with a number of organisations that help to rebuild the lives of individuals who have suffered injuries of the utmost severity, including brain and spinal cord injury.

"We see our involvement with the air ambulance as a natural part of our goal, which is to help individuals and families of the very seriously injured."

 

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£15,000 raised so far for Bristol air ambulance appeal
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airambulancepics
The Evening Post has joined forces with the Great Western Air Ambulance to help them raise the more than one million they need each year to keep their helicopter flying.
The service flies a crew of doctors and specialist paramedics to emergencies to provide A&E standard care at the scene, helping save lives and minimise the possibility of more serious injury.
They can stabilise patients and help them breathe and in the most serious cases can anaesthetise people and carry out other emergency procedures while they are still in their home, on the roadside or sports pitch.
Patients are then transported to the most appropriate hospital for their injuries rather than the nearest because the initial preparation has already been carried out at the scene.
It also enables a casualty to be taken straight into the operating theatre, scanner or intensive treatment unit when they arrive at the A&E rather than waiting to be prepared.
Great Western Air Ambulance was launched in June and has already been called to more than 200 incidents and helped save lives but other than the salaries of the paramedics who fly as part of the crew, there is no NHS funding for the service and the team relies on its own dedicated charity and the goodwill of the public to raise the funding needed each year.
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