Anniversary appeal for Somerset and Dorset Air Ambulance

11:20am Thursday 26th November 2009

By James Tourgout

PATIENTS saved by the air ambulance are being urged to help celebrate its 10th birthday.

The Somerset and Dorset Air Ambulance charity is trying to track down as many of the 7,000 people it has helped since its launch in March 2000.

It is planning to celebrate its anniversary by holding an event at its Henstridge airbase on June 12, 2010.

Ambulance charity manager Charlotte Routley said: “It may seem a bit bizarre to some people, but unless patients get in touch afterwards and tell us who they are, we do not have any record of them.

“A lot of people do keep in touch and many of them help to raise funds for us or volunteer their time because although we provide a vital lifesaving emergency service to the community, the Government does not give us any grants at all.

“There are literally thousands of people whom we never see or hear from again, and we are hoping the publicity about our 10th birthday will encourage them to contact us.

“Our celebration on June 12, 2010, will be made extra special if we can share it with some of those who have experienced our service first hand.”

Mum Carole Potter of Batcombe, near Dorchester, said her son Max Brimble ‘would not be here today’ without the quick response of the air ambulance. The 13-year-old suffered serious brain injuries after he was kicked in the head by horse eight years ago.

Carole said: “Max was nearly gone when they got to him and it took them something like 12 minutes to get from Dorchester to Southampton hospital. A land ambulance would’ve taken more than an hour to get there.

“An air ambulance is also much better for a brain injury because it’s a smoother ride.

“It’s an important service because you don’t know when you’re going to need it.”

She added: “A party is a good excuse for a get together. We’ve been to lots of smaller events and helped to fundraise for the charity over the years, so we’d definitely like to be there.”

The air ambulance was launched in March 2000. It has flown to nearly 7,000 emergencies in Somerset and Dorset, many of them lifesaving missions.

The air ambulance needs to raise more than £3,800 a day to keep flying. So far this year it has been to more than 700 emergencies.