Caroline shares this latest appeal with OnTheWight readers. Ed
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance are seeking volunteers on the Isle of Wight to help the charity continue to promote its life saving service throughout the local community and beyond.
The charity prides itself on the close links that it has with the communities that it serves and has a loyal team of 16 volunteers on the Isle of Wight, led by Regional Lead Volunteer Pat Knight.
Invaluable support
Volunteers provide invaluable support to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance throughout the year, fulfilling a number of important and rewarding roles. From giving talks to local groups to distributing donation pots, attending fundraising events and presenting the charity’s highly successful ‘Be a 999 Hero’ Education Programme, volunteers play a key role in the day to day fundraising activities of the charity.
Charity Manager Sherie Williams Ellen commented,
“Our volunteers are the backbone of our charity. They provide an essential link to our local communities and we simply could not manage without them.”
The charity is keen to recruit a wide range of volunteers from across the Isle of Wight and will be inducting new volunteers throughout the summer.
Sherie continued,
“Volunteering not only provides the perfect opportunity to support our life saving service, but it is also a great way to learn new skills and it can be a lot of fun. We are always looking for volunteers to wear our popular ‘Be A 999 Hero’ character mascots at events and presentations.”
Bringing emergency department to patients
Crewed by pilots, paramedics and doctors trained in pre-hospital care, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is in effect, bringing the emergency department to patients across the Isle of Wight, transferring then to specialist hospitals on the mainland when necessary.
It takes approximately 20 minutes for the Air Ambulance to reach the Isle of Wight from its airbase in Thruxton, Andover.
Receives no government, statutory or national lottery funding
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance flies seven days a week, up to 19 hours a day, and attends an average of two to three missions a day, many of them life saving.
The charity receives no government, statutory or national lottery funding for routine operations, and is entirely dependent on gifts received from members of the public, companies and grant-making bodies to keep the Air Ambulance flying and saving lives.
To keep the Air Ambulance flying HIOWAA needs to raise approximately £230,000 per month.
