Cornwall Air Ambulance launch appeal for second helicopter
The charity say it will help them save more lives across Cornwall
Cornwall Air Ambulance has launched an appeal for a second helicopter.
The Heli 2 Appeal aims to raise money to purchase second AW169 helicopter to deliver a critical care service by air, 365 days a year.
The charity currently supports over 1,000 patients who are seriously ill or injured each year, but there is scope to reach even more people by air with the purchase of a second aircraft. The appeal, running from 20th November 2023 until the end of December 2024, is aiming to raise £2.85million to help the lifesaving charity buy this second high-specification helicopter.
Tim Bunting, Chief Executive, said: "This is a huge moment for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly as we look to significantly enhance our service provision. We have had some of our busiest months on record this year and our priority is to ensure that we can continue to give the highest quality of care to those who are critically ill or injured.
"We were the very first air ambulance service in the UK and owning two high specification helicopters for the first time will significantly increase our operational capacity, helping us improve our service over the coming years."
Due to the extreme demands on the current helicopter, owning a second will significantly boost the charity’s versatility, capability and resilience.
It will provide the team with the versatility to operate two aircraft simultaneously during peak high demand period in the future. And most importantly it will enable the aircrew to fly hundreds of extra missions, helping to save more lives across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Currently, when the AW169 is away having its annual maintenance, the charity leases a backup AW109 aircraft from air operations partner Castle Air, so they can continue to respond to critical care missions by air.
However, the AW169 is far more advanced and capable.
Owning two AW169s means carrying the best possible crew, with the best possible equipment, on the best possible aircraft, on all missions. Ultimately, it means the charity can attend even more patients by air and save more lives.
Tim added: "We’re aware that we’re launching this appeal at a challenging economic time, but thanks to the support of our generous donors, we already have most of the money towards the cost of the £10 million helicopter. We hope the public will get behind us as we look to secure the remaining £2.85million needed by the end of December next year."
Adam Smith, Chief Pilot, said: "Owning a second AW169 will increase the safety for the team of pilots, as we’ll be operating a single type of helicopter. This will remove the need for pilot training hours in different types of aircraft. The second helicopter will have more advanced lighting providing better awareness of scenes at night in particular. The second helicopter will also have a lower ‘empty’ weight allowing us to carry more fuel and attend when required more missions back-to-back and/or transfers to hospitals out of county.
"The AW169 has some of the most advanced navigation capabilities in the industry. This means we’ll be able to provide the same standard of service day and night when flying conditions allow, 19 hours a day, 365 days a year."
The Christmas campaign has launched a brand-new Christmas animation, where every donation made over the festive period will be doubled, thanks to the support of a small group of donors, and will go towards the Heli 2 Appeal.
Jess’ Journey follows the story of a young girl who watches as her brother Ned is taken to hospital by Cornwall Air Ambulance. As she watches him receive lifesaving care, she comes to terms with what is happening and responds in the most spectacular way. The story is based on patient Ned and his family, after he suffered a brain bleed and needed specialist care at the age of just seven.
Over the coming year there will be various ways for individuals, local communities and businesses to support the appeal and help raise the £2.85million.
You can watch the animation from 8am on the Cornwall Air Ambulance Website. |newtab)