A lot depends on the good-hearted people of the local community when it comes to keeping air ambulance services afloat in the United Kingdom. The industry is primarily supported by the people, while some of the money comes from the government and corporate bodies. However, unlike other countries, it is seen that the people of UK take a keen interest in keeping air ambulance services well-funded through charitable efforts. Most of these are people whose lives have been affected by air ambulance services in some way.
The Efforts by the Family to Raise Funds for the Air Ambulance Service
Take, for example, a Worcestershire couple. After their daughter was killed in a horse-riding accident, they helped raise £103,000 for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity. Roger and Diane Cole of Droitwich, along with their other daughter, Stephanie, have been involved in fundraising efforts since Charlotte Cole’s death in 2011. In memory of the yard’s former head girl, Claire Dyson Racing and Rehabilitation has also donated to the charity. Open days at Froglands Stud Farm have been used to raise funds.
The Local Community Depends on the Service
The air ambulance charity operates and finances three helicopters that serve Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, and the West Midlands. It claimed that the Cole family and Claire Dyson Racing’s £103,000 donation over the last decade enabled it to assist more than 60 patients “in their critical hour of need at the scene of their incident.”
“Sadly, our advanced critical care paramedics and doctors are called out to a horse rider in desperate need of enhanced pre-hospital care every week,” said charity CEO Hanna Sebright.
So equestrian community support is critical to sustaining our service in the rural communities we serve.” On Thursday, a horserace was held in Charlotte’s honor. “While the reason we fundraise for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is out of tragic loss, we are extremely proud to have reached this incredible milestone,” Claire Dyson said on behalf of Evesham-based Claire Dyson Racing and the Cole family.
