Help needed to hit Great North Air Ambulance appeal target

Feb 7 2010 Sunday Sun

THE huge generosity of you, our readers, has increased our total again . . . to £260,000.

From mountainside rescues in Cumbria, to town centre touchdowns in Tyneside and Teesside, within the space of a day the life-saving Great North Air Ambulance can be needed in all corners of the region.

Our Air Angels appeal is bidding to raise £1m to make dreams of a new

helicopter for the service a reality.

Until now the charity has always leased its aircraft. By buying for the first time the GNAA can ensure the region is never left without the crucial air cover it provides.

A spokeswoman for the charity said: “We regularly encounter people

across the region with no idea our charity is entirely reliant on

public funding. They just assume we get Government funding.

“The other message we’re always working to spread is anyone could one day need the Air Ambulance.

“We are regularly called to rural areas like Cumbria, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, and County Durham where we treated little Nikita Battye after she was kicked in the head by a horse.

“Often these are areas where road ambulances might struggle to reach quickly in the event of an emergency.

“At the same time we are often needed in built-up areas.

“It’s not just how quickly an ambulance can reach a scene, it’s how quickly a doctor is needed. Because our aircraft carry doctors we can essentially take A&E to a roadside, for example, and begin treatment before the patient is transferred to hospital.”