This morning we welcomed Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal to our air base to present a cheque for £300,000. This amazing donation will fund the helipad at our new air base in Almondsbury.

Mr Bertram had the opportunity to meet our CEO Anna Perry, members of the charity team, and our Specialist Paramedics in Critical Care and Critical Care Doctors. The crew showed him around the Filton air base and spoke with him about the plans for the new one.

The HELP Appeal is the only charity in the country that funds the development of helipads at Major Trauma Centres, key A&E hospitals and air ambulance bases – so we were very happy to be chosen for this donation!

Mr Bertram commented: “The HELP Appeal is best known for funding hospital helipads. But this isn’t all we do to help air ambulances save the time it takes to get a critically ill patient to hospital. By funding the new helipad at the GWAAC base, we are helping to reduce the time it takes for its pilots and paramedics to take off and transfer a patient to hospital for the CT scans, blood transfusions or emergency surgery that could help to save his or her life.”

Anna Perry said: “This donation is incredibly generous and we are so very grateful. It has been nice to meet Robert and explain our plans for our new base and exactly where this money will go. The helipad is of course extremely important, and we are so lucky and grateful that the HELP Appeal exists and has chosen to help us, as well as many other charities and hospitals across the country. Simply put, this donation and the new helipad will save lives.”

Our new air base and the helipad will help enhance response times for our helicopter and Critical Care Cars. Find out more about the Buy our Base appeal here www.buyourbase.co.uk