The date was November 12, 2018, when the much awaited Air Ambulance Awards of United Kingdom were announced. The award ceremony was held in the city of London at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel. It was in recognition of the efforts put in by individuals and teams working in various air ambulance organizations in the United Kingdom. The adjudication was done by an independent panel of judges and it was headed by Jim Fitzpatrick MP who had a few words to share. He observed that every year, he sees some extraordinary feats performed by ordinary people and further said that this year was no exception to this.
The Winner of the Prestigious Air Ambulance Lifetime Achievement Award
The award of Air Ambulance Lifetime Achievement went to the Chief Executive, Angela Hughes, who works for Wales Air Ambulance. The organization operates 4 helicopters and has about 100 members as its staff, in addition to about 650 volunteers. Angela was the first employee of the air ambulance organization who today heads it. She said that, while most of these professionals simply say they are doing their job, they do much more than that. She added that the awards are a celebration of all the people of the air ambulance industry who put in so much effort.
There were Other Air Ambulance Awards too
Air ambulances in the United Kingdom mainly depend on charity and this year’s Charity Staff Member of the Year Award went to Jen Easton who is a part of East Anglian Air Ambulance. Dr. Paddy Morgan was recognized with the Air Ambulance Doctor of the Year Award. Mark Williams was awarded Paramedic of the Year.
An important function of air ambulance organizations in the country is running charity campaigns to stay afloat. This year, Wiltshire Air Ambulance won the Air Ambulance Campaign Award. There were several other awards that were presented in recognition of exemplary efforts by individuals.