EASTCOMBE WI are out and about – having a lovely time on a recent trip to see the workings of the BBC in Bristol, then rolling sleeves up, donning rubber gloves and out for an evening of litter picking around the villages.
At the April meeting, our respect for the work of the air ambulance service was re-enforced by the information imparted by Steve, from the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity.
With a response time of a mere four minutes, the Eurocopter 135, critical care paramedics, doctors and equipment can be delivering life–saving medical intervention for some 2.1 million individuals.
Supported, if appropriate by a fleet of critical care cars, patients are transported to the most appropriate hospital, having received critical emergency treatment/stabilisation.
The ‘Helimed’ team covers six counties, and can reach a trauma location within 20 minutes.
The GWAAC is a charity – with no Government or National Lottery funding – some £2m per annum in charitable donations are needed to keep them delivering life-saving mobile intervention.
There are lots of fund-raising activities such as the recent Kilimanjaro Challenge which raised £78,000.
Understanding the scope and importance of their work gives gravitas to the GWAAC donation collection buckets.
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