Every year the air ambulance services in England and Wales save thousands of lives by providing rapid medical care in emergencies.
Since 2007, Freemasons have donated more than £1.5 million in support of emergency air ambulances across England and Wales, which includes yearly grants of around £192,000. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has been among those supported.
The helicopter operates from an airbase at Henstridge on the Dorset / Somerset border. From there, the service can reach any point in the two counties within 20 minutes of receiving an emergency call. Since its launch in March 2000 the Air Ambulance has flown over 11,000 missions and can respond to over eight incidents in a single day.
A great many lives would be lost without the swift life-saving help provided by the air ambulance doctors and paramedics. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance receive no direct funding from the Government or the National Lottery and rely entirely on the generosity of the public for support.
The following air ambulance charities across England and Wales are amongst those to receive funds:
- Cornwall Air Ambulance
- Devon Air Ambulance
- Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance
- Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance
- East Anglian Air Ambulance
- Essex and Hertfordshire Air Ambulance
- Great North Air Ambulance
- Great Western Air Ambulance Service
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance
- Kent, Sussex and Surrey Air Ambulance Trust
- Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust
- London’s Air Ambulance
- Midlands Air Ambulance
- North West Air Ambulance
- Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance
- Wales Air Ambulance
- Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance
- Wiltshire Air Ambulance
- Yorkshire Air Ambulance