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James supports the work of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

James Arbuthnot, Member of Parliament for North East Hampshire this week gave his backing to the work of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance and the tremendous work they do in saving lives in the local area.

Based at Thruxton, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance has been operational since 1st July 2007. It takes off within four minutes of receiving an emergency callout and the crew of three, usually one pilot and two paramedics can be anywhere in Hampshire within 15 minutes. The Air Ambulance is able to take patients to the most appropriate hospital as circumstances dictate and their Messerschmidt Bolkow 105 (which travels at 120 miles per hour) on average completes 3 to 5 callouts a day.

In spite of the significant role they play in saving many hundreds of lives a year, like all Air Ambulances, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance receives no help from the Government or the National Lottery and relies solely upon charitable donations. The vital service it provides requires in excess of £92,000 of donations per month for the scheme to succeed.

James said:

"The outstanding work of the Air Ambulance scheme in recent years in saving people’s lives – and the extent to which we have come to rely upon it in times of emergency – has made us all forget the extent to which we need to dig deep in our own pockets and support the work they do.

"This is a deeply committed, highly professional team whose role in our local community is vital. We must do all that we can not just to raise the profile of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, but also to support directly the work that they do. Through charitable donations, we must secure the future of this key emergency service and keep the Air Ambulances flying."