Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance celebrates 30th anniversary

It launched in April 1994

Air ambulance
Author: Andy MarshPublished 1st Apr 2024

Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance are celebrating their 30th anniversary this month,

The charity was founded in April 1994 and has since responded to over 28 and a half thousand missions.

It's been vital in saving the lives of countless people over the years .

We spoke to Ruth Wakefield from Normanton near Grantham who was airlifted to hospital twice following horse-riding accidents.

She tells us how much the service means to her.

It can be there so quickly and get you to hospital when you're at a critical stage - it's just invaluable

"Where I had both accidents it wasn't easy to get to by road - you had to come across the fields."

"If I had to be transported from that area without the air ambulance it would have been an entirely different story."

"The fact that the air ambulance can be there so quickly and get you to hospital when you're at a critical stage - it's just invaluable."

"I'm very unusual in that the Lincs and Notts air ambulance picked me up from the same field at home twice."

"I first broke my pelvis about 14 - 15 years ago which resulted in me ultimately learning to walk again."

It must have helped my recovery so much

"About 4 years later I broke my femur."

"Both occasions I was riding a horse at home up in the cross country field."

"The first occasion I had just finished riding and was just wanting to come out of the field and the horse reared and landed on me and the second occasion we were jumping - my horse bucked."

"I landed on my feel as I came off the horse and broke my leg."

"I had a really long recovery time with my first accident - I spent probably two months in a wheelchair - had to learn to walk again."

"It was something you'd never expect to have to do."

"I think the fact I was picked up by the air ambulance and taken to hospital within probably an hour must have helped my recovery so much."

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