Two years ago Region 15 members voted to give their charity fund-raising proceeds to the Air Ambulances of the South West. They are a vital life-saving service in such a rural region and they continue flying each day only because their annual multi-million pound costs are covered by donations from local people. Last year the Devon Air Ambulance was the beneficiary of our charity cheque, this May it was Cornwall's turn. Cornwall had the first Air Ambulance in the UK in 1987, since when it has flown nearly 25,000 rescue missions. In 2013 alone there were 397 medical emergency take-offs with 11% of missions to attend road traffic accidents.
We wanted to present our cheque for £340 in person, so twelve cars and twenty members turned out on the hottest, sunniest day of the year, most taking a morning drive over a sparkling Dartmoor to pick up other cars along the way into Cornwall, all meeting for lunch at the Halfway House Inn at St Jidgey, a few miles from the Air Ambulance HQ at Newquay Airport. As we turned into the car park, the Air Ambulance was just finishing its landing procedure and we got a warm welcome from Fundraising Officer Becky Wise. Her presentation was filled with impressive facts from 27 years of operation.
There are no age limits on patients carried, young or old, though advanced pregnancy cases are discouraged as there's no room in the chopper to safely deliver a baby. And you thought Ryanair was crowded. It only takes three minutes to take off on a shout and it costs £2.5m a year to run, all from donations remember. In a major development in December, the single Eurocopter machine will be replaced by two new McDonnell Douglas 902 models, as used by a number of other UK Air Ambulance charities. It's bigger, quieter and will be able to operate at night. They will still carry red and yellow livery and proudly display the flag of St Piran.
As Becky ended her presentation, the helicopter powered up and took off on another mission, so we never did get to see it close up. However, we laid plans for a return trip to inspect the new arrivals. In the meantime we were all impressed and reassured that if we, or anyone, has a medical emergency in Cornwall, the best and quickest care is always on hand.
Text and photos courtesy of Chris Rogers, R15
We wanted to present our cheque for £340 in person, so twelve cars and twenty members turned out on the hottest, sunniest day of the year, most taking a morning drive over a sparkling Dartmoor to pick up other cars along the way into Cornwall, all meeting for lunch at the Halfway House Inn at St Jidgey, a few miles from the Air Ambulance HQ at Newquay Airport. As we turned into the car park, the Air Ambulance was just finishing its landing procedure and we got a warm welcome from Fundraising Officer Becky Wise. Her presentation was filled with impressive facts from 27 years of operation.
There are no age limits on patients carried, young or old, though advanced pregnancy cases are discouraged as there's no room in the chopper to safely deliver a baby. And you thought Ryanair was crowded. It only takes three minutes to take off on a shout and it costs £2.5m a year to run, all from donations remember. In a major development in December, the single Eurocopter machine will be replaced by two new McDonnell Douglas 902 models, as used by a number of other UK Air Ambulance charities. It's bigger, quieter and will be able to operate at night. They will still carry red and yellow livery and proudly display the flag of St Piran.
As Becky ended her presentation, the helicopter powered up and took off on another mission, so we never did get to see it close up. However, we laid plans for a return trip to inspect the new arrivals. In the meantime we were all impressed and reassured that if we, or anyone, has a medical emergency in Cornwall, the best and quickest care is always on hand.
Text and photos courtesy of Chris Rogers, R15
