Air Ambulance

We had a presentation in February from a volunteer with the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance. We were fascinated to hear all the details of what it takes to keep the two helicopters, all the equipment, the onboard doctors and the paramedics flying an average of 5 missions every day – a staggering £5 million per year. The only help they get from the government is the loan of the paramedics, all the rest has to come from fund raising. We learned the benefits of being able to effectively bring an A&E to a crash site, with them being able to get to most scenes within half-an-hour – they’ve even done emergency surgery at the roadside in dire circumstances! The group officially gave the Air Ambulance a donation of £25 and a tin was passed around for members to put money in if they wished. We have since received a Thank You letter from the trust, they are very grateful because in all we raised over £90 for them. Proof, I think, of how important we all consider the service to be.