With a predicted loss of £1million as a result of Coronavirus, Cornwall Air Ambulance needs your support.
Saving lives: this is the Cornwall Air Ambulance’s mission. Despite the recent pandemic, illness and injury were not put into lockdown, making it vitally important for the charity to adapt and ensure that the crew and helicopter could continue responding to those in their hour of need.
Under PHE guidelines, the crew have been permitted to transport confirmed Covid-19 patients by air. This has allowed them to continue attending all children and adults, bringing their enhanced critical care skills to those most in need across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Both the Critical Care Team and the Pilots are now wearing PPE; the new Cornwall Air Ambulance helicopter has had a fabric screen installed to separate the cockpit from the clinical space, and more rigorous cleaning is being carried out between missions, protecting not just the crew, but the people they work tirelessly to help.
This, of course, all comes at a cost, however the charity is set to lose a massive £1 million by the end of the year as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown forced the charity’s shops to close and at the same time, put pay to its usual calendar of fundraising events, both of which are crucial for keeping the crew in flight. This means that now, more than ever, it needs your support.
“We don’t want anyone to be left behind because of the knock-on impact of this pandemic,” says Air Operations Officer, Steve Garvey. With a brand new aircraft now secured, he continues: “We want to make sure we can continue to use it to its full potential.” Unfortunately, the reality is that without the funding the charity needs, it may well need to change the way it operates, which will ultimately affect the level of care it currently brings to Cornwall’s most seriously sick and injured patients.
So how can you help? The easiest way is to donate by texting ‘SAVE’ to 70144, but there are other ways to offer your support. You could host an event or fundraiser, for instance, or play the ‘Mission Maker Lottery’. Other ways include donating to, or buying from, the Cornwall Air Ambulance charity shops, leaving a gift in your will, taking on a ‘Team CAAT’ challenge, or even becoming a ‘Groundcrew’ volunteer. To learn more, be sure to pay the website a visit, where you’ll find all you need to know about making your own priceless contribution to this invaluable Cornish charity.