Could You Be The Face Of The Helipad Appeal?

The County Air Ambulance Trust is appealing for survivors to come forward and become the face of their £10 million Helipad Appeal to provide new or improved helipad facilities at a number of hospitals throughout the Midlands.

A new Helicopter Emergency Landing Pad Appeal (H E L P) has been established to raise all the funds needed to construct or update existing helipads and ensure that all new hospitals have suitable helipad access in the future.

Jason Dennis, from the County Air Ambulance Trust, said: "Air ambulances are by far the most effective way of transporting critically injured or ill patients to the hospital most suited to their needs. However if an air ambulance takes a patient to the specialist spinal unit at Oswestry, the helicopter used to land in an adjacent sports field where the patient was taken more than 80 metres over poorly surfaced paths to the admissions area.

A complete overhaul of these facilities including a smooth surface and an under cover route has now commenced. As a charity we rely on fundraising and charitable donations so the helipad appeal is a vital cog in the machine that allows us to do our job to the best of our ability."

Wendy Farrington Chadd, Chief Executive, the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust in Oswestry is most enthusiastic about the appeal: "We are extremely grateful to the County Air Ambulance Trust for agreeing to overhaul our landing and transfer facilities. It will be of great benefit to patients arriving by air ambulance and will enhance their comfort when they arrive with critical injuries. The covered transfer area, which will be adjacent to our hydrotherapy pool, will be useful for patients generally, protecting them from venturing outside in all weathers. This is fantastic news - thank you!"

Survivors willing to support the H E L P Appeal are asked to contact Jason Dennis at The County Air Ambulance Trust with their stories. The best ones will be featured on the website and possibly on some of the Charity's other promotional material.

To help with this process The County Air Ambulance Trust are starting up a Facebook group to help encourage survivors to get in contact with them in a more relaxed environment and to share their stories with others. It is hoped that this will encourage donations needed to help the charity in its quest for new landing sites.

For more information or to make a donation, please contact them on 0800 389 8999 or visit their website at www.countyairambulancetrust.co.uk
About The County Air Ambulance Trust
The County Air Ambulance Trust is the Midland's oldest independent air ambulance charity and supports six air ambulance helicopters, which serve an area of 8,000sq miles, covering over 10 counties and a population of over 7.8million.

The charity covers the counties of Avon, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire.
From their bases, the helicopters are available for up to 10 hours a day, seven days a week, serving the community and taking their patients to hospitals across the country.

The County Air Ambulance Trust is the only charity supporting all aspects of helicopter emergency medical services throughout the entire region and further information is available at www.countyairambulancetrust.co.uk.

Note to Editors: The County Air Ambulance Trust is represented online by search engine optimisation team at Top Position. Please contact Tina Clough with any online coverage queries relating to this release. Email: tina@topposition.co.uk or Tel: 01623 726233.