The Sky's The Limit - Spring 2013

The Sky’s the Limit!Spring 2013 | Issue 4

www.timesaveslives.comRegistered Charity 1133295

Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust

@Cornwallairamb

BREAKING NEWS • BREAKING NEWS • BREAKING NEWS • BREAKING NEWS

BREAKING NEWS • BREAKING NEWS • BREAKING NEWS • BREAKING NEWS

Cornwall Air Ambulance NewsletterCornwall Air Ambulance Trust, Trevithick Downs, Newquay, Cornwall TR8 4DY

Tel: 01637 889926 Email: [email protected]

Mission Count so far: 23,786

It’s not a race – just Ride On!Are you always promising yourself that you’re going to get on your bike and take a closer look at the lovely county we live in? Wouldn’t it be fun to go on a ‘proper’ bike ride through Cornwall? Then ‘Ride On! – A proper Cornish bike ride’ is just what you’re looking for! We’re after 100 determined cyclists to join us in cycling from Bude to Land’s End over the end of May bank holiday weekend. It’s not a race, just a proper challenge open to anyone over the age of 16, no matter what your cycling experience!

Guaranteed to be as Cornish as it comes, you’ll be having saffron cake for elevenses with our aircrew at our base, and munching on cream teas and pasties as you cycle through some of Cornwall’s most stunning scenery.

The route we’ve put together is truly spectacular – starting in Bude and cruising along the North Coast then moving inland and taking in the rugged Bodmin Moor, lunching on the first day at the Highest Inn in Cornwall, then freewheeling down to the Camel Trail and camping near Wadebridge. Day 2 takes you through Cornwall’s capital city – Truro-and along towards Redruth where we will be camping at a site just off the Coast to Coast trail. As Day 3 dawns, the best is yet to come! You’ll cycle through stunning countryside and along gorgeous coastlines. Lunch will be on the coast today, overlooking the gorgeous St Michael’s Mount, and

with the finish line mere hours away at Lands End! Your friends and family are invited to cheer you over the finish line at Land’s End and Sharp’s Brewery will be on hand with a well-earned pint for every rider over 18!

Your registration fee includes your meals and camping – and here’s the best bit – we’ll carry your tent and sleeping bag from the start point to each nights campsite for you! All you need to do is commit to raise at least £150 in sponsorship – and get on your bike! Or to put it another way; convince just 15 of your friends to sponsor you for 10p a mile for the 140 miles you’ll be cycling.

Places are strictly limited to 100 so you need to contact us as soon as possible to confirm your place – call the fundraising team on 01637 889926 or go to www.cornwallairambulancetrust.org/rideon for more information or to register. Remember – it’s not a race – just Ride On!

Double Vision!It is with great excitement that we can announce that as of December 2014 the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly will have not one but two lifesaving helicopters serving the community, ultimately resulting in us being able to save more lives in the future.

Our supporters will know that our current operators Bond Air Services have been with us from the very first day we took to the skies. However after a very competitive tender process this year we have now selected a new operator – Medical Aviation Services (MAS) who will take over in December 2014. The new contract will allow the charity to operate two helicopters to be able to cope with the increasing demand and provide a dedicated back up service.

The helicopters (MD 902 Explorers for the helicopter enthusiasts amongst you!) we will be flying as part of the new contract will not only be bigger, providing the crew and the patients conveyed to hospital with increased cabin space, but in addition the helicopter can

carry more weight (in the form of either lifesaving equipment or fuel) and fly further than our current aircraft – all of which ultimately helps us to improve our ability to help to save lives.

continued on page 2

AirAmb_Newsletter_Iss4-v4.indd 1 11/04/2013 13:11

page 2 | Spring 2013 | Issue 4

From the Chief Executive...Welcome to the 4th edition of our newsletter. Time literally flies when you are having fun, and we always aim to make fundraising lots of fun! Take a look at the photos over the next few pages and see how many people you can spot smiling.

Well you really responded to our appeal in the Autumn newsletter of last year. At the time we were really worried that fundraising has taken such a hard hit due to so many summer events being cancelled or washed out with terrible weather. But by the end of the year things turned around, and 2012 was a success story in fundraising terms, so we want to say a massive thank you for that!

We are going to need to keep that going in 2013, so what’s special about this year given it isn’t a 25th anniversary year anymore? Well there is so much happening, including new air ambulance shops opening in two towns as this goes to print, Runway Runaround was bigger and better than ever, our brand new cycle ride event launches this May, and there is breaking news about new air ambulances for Cornwall coming soon (see front page)! Quite a lot of you are climbing a mountain in Africa later in the year to help keep the helicopter flying, and in the meantime paramedic Mark Fuszard has trekked across the Arctic and has raised over £10,000!

We are busy lobbying our MP’s on hot topics relating to charity fundraising, gift aid, and VAT. New people have joined our charity team, and new volunteers are joining in every week. There is quite literally never a dull day, and if you want to be a part of it, on your own, with friends, family or work colleagues, with your school pals, or as part of a community group, we would love to have you on board. Join our fundraising family. It’s a place where you really can make a difference to someone, somewhere in Cornwall. And as YOU are probably already doing it, don’t keep it to yourself! Please pass on this newsletter to someone else and help us by being an advocate for our life saving work.

Finally, we are still hoping that many more of you will join in with regular giving. The standing order form is on the back page. You chose how much, when to start and when to stop giving, and how often you give in between. Fill in the form, add gift aid if you can, send it to us at HQ and we will do the rest. Thank you!

Some very sad newsIt is with great sadness that we include this article in this edition of our newsletter. Last December came the tragic news of the death of our former Chairman, Mr. Harold Chapman, in a road traffic collision in Australia.

He had not long stepped down from the charity board of trustees, to achieve a lifelong retirement ambition of emigrating in retirement, with his wife Pamela. Pamela was very seriously injured in the accident, and continues to make a very slow recovery.

We wanted you all to know that the messages of condolence made their way into a book, including all of the messages we received from our website and through the BBC news website.

There is to be a service celebrating the life of Harold Chapman, at 11am on 20th June at St Breock Church, followed by a reception at the Pavilion on the Royal Cornwall Showground. Everyone who knew Harold will be welcome to attend. Please park at the Pavilion from 10am and use the free shuttle bus to St Breock Church.

Once again thank you for your kind messages of support and all of our thoughts are with Pamela and the rest of Harold’s family.

continued from front page...

What the new contract also means is that we will potentially now be able to operate night-time missions. Following the change in European rules last year air ambulances are now able to operate night time missions and like some of our Air Ambulance friends up country we see the value of this to the community we serve. This is BIG news for us and will allow us to extend our current flying hours – particularly in Winter – into the hours of darkness. The new helicopters will come fully equipped for night time flying.

Chairman of our charity, Lady Mary Holborow said; “This occasion marks a new chapter in the life of the Cornwall Air Ambulance and we are all very much looking forward to working with Medical Aviation Services.”

We are very pleased with their selection which provides exciting opportunities to enhance the service and offers excellent value for our supporters’ donations.

Keep your eyes peeled on our website and in our next edition of ‘The Sky’s the Limit’ newsletter for more information about these exciting ‘goings on’!



Did you know...

...Cornwall Air Ambulance was the first air ambulance in the UK to take

to the skies back in 1987?

After the success of last year’s ball, we are extremely excited to announce that this year’s Cornwall Air Ambulance Ball will be on Saturday 27th July. It is a wonderful chance to see behind the scenes at the Cornwall Air Ambulance headquarters, to dine in our hangar, have your photo taken with the helicopter and help to keep Cornwall’s Air Ambulance flying!

As well as a delicious three course meal, there will be live music and entertainment and an auction with lots of ‘one-off prizes’ including last year’s most popular prize - ‘A dinner date with Cornwall Air Ambulance’s aircrew’ (come on ladies, there is no excuse not to bid!)

Last year the event was very popular and we expect this event to sell out very quickly so don’t delay in booking your tickets for Cornwall’s most talked about glitzy event of the year!

Dancing the Night Away!

For more information or to buy tickets please call 01637 889926 or go to our website

www.cornwallairambulancetrust.org

Christmas disaster avertedWe recently had a visit from the Brown family from Luxulyan who came in to thank our Paramedics Stuart and Amy who were instrumental in helping to make sure that the family’s Christmas Eve walk did not turn into a disaster.

Whilst out walking on the beach at Carlyon Bay, the family dog Tye was swept out to sea in a fast running stream. The three children Chloe, Aidan and Alex ran into the sea to save their dog and instantly found themselves fighting against a very strong undertow, trying desperately to stay afloat. Luckily Chloe (and Tye) made it back to shore but the youngest, Aidan who is only 9 really struggled against the current and soon became unconscious due to hypothermia and inhaling water. His older brother Alex managed to keep him afloat until his mum Karen could get them both back to shore. Within minutes Cornwall Air Ambulance was on its way.

Paramedic Stuart said; “From base to beach was going to be 9 minutes and it was a journey with focused discussions on medical treatment and options on our role and what we could bring to the situation. On arrival it was good to find everyone out of the sea, the focus of concern was obviously on Aidan and it was vital that we got him to hospital asap. Treatment and transport took place simultaneously. A helicopter can bring speed and save time and in this instance the rotor blades didn’t stop so once we had loaded Aidan on board we were immediately on our way to the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

Aidan arrived at hospital within 40 minutes of getting into difficulty which is incredible given his location, all possible because a helicopter can land at his side and fly in a straight line at over 120mph. Every day there are situations where this speed and versatility is life changing for someone, please keep our air ambulance flying, all of this is only possible because of you!”

Keep up to date with Cornwall Air Ambulance online...

We can help you promote your fundraising event too. Just go to... www.cornwallairambulancetrust.org/tell-

us-about-your-event

Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust

@Cornwallairamb





Land’s End to... Dunnet Head!If you follow our fundraising updates, you’ll have heard of the fantastic Mary Phillips and her tractor drives. For many years Mary has supported the air ambulance by getting sponsorship to drive her vintage tractors over long distances and has raised thousands of pounds. Last year Mary completed what she said at the time would be her last epic tractor drive, the gruelling journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End over the course of 17 days, during which time she also celebrated her 72nd birthday!

However, there must be something addictive about these tractor drives, because she’s off again later this year – this time from Land’s End to Dunnet Head, which is the northernmost point in Britain, about 10 miles north of John O’Groats. Once again she’ll be driving her vintage Field Marshall tractor, averaging just 9 miles per hour. As part of her fundraising this time she’s running a raffle, with the top prize being a Ferguson Tractor (donated by Mr Barkwill – pictured). Other prizes include a magnificent doll’s house complete with furniture, models of tractors, books, and much more! Tickets are £1 each, available from Mary on 01840 211501, and the draw will take place on Tuesday 17th September, 12 noon at Hatherleigh Cattle Market.

A Proper Cornish Affair!A big thank you to nearly 500 runners who braved the cold to take part in our Runway Runaround: This Time It’s War event on Sunday 24th March. From runners wearing PJs and Fred Flintstone costumes to elite running club members, everyone enjoyed the very unique route around RAF St Mawgan and Newquay Cornwall Airport, running past wartime aircraft, military vehicles and coming back to the ‘charity village’ – an old wartime hangar.

Runners were rewarded with a pint of Doom Bar, a Proper Cornish pasty, a massage and a goody bag. The event really could not have happened without the support of RAF St Mawgan and Newquay Cornwall Airport for all of their help organising the event and allowing runners ‘airside’. We would also like to thank the many local companies who made this year’s event the success it was – and of course to all of our wonderful volunteers who got up at the crack of dawn on a cold Sunday morning.

At the time of going to print, it looks like the event raised in excess of £10,000 which is absolutely fantastic – well done to everyone who took part!



Thank you to everyone who has raised money or volunteered their time.

All of our wonderful charity shop, HQ and events volunteers – collectively your time has

been worth over £280,000 this year – we simply would not be able to fly without you!

Trelawney Garden Centre for £3,672 raised through asking for a donation from their customers in return for discount coffee

vouchers – what an amazing amount to raise.

Proper Job Disco for organising their ‘Stars in their Eyes’ contest at the White Hart

in St Keverne raising £662.

All of the shoppers in Waitrose in Saltash who voted for Cornwall Air Ambulance

in the Waitrose Community Matters Scheme raising us a fantastic £2,280.

St Austell and District Roundtable for their Barcelona or Bust Rally Challenge

which raised over £2,000!

All of the staff at Wilkinson who voted for us to be their charity of the year from May 2013. We look forward to working alongside you!

Edith Davis for her annual donation of £50 through selling her homemade marmalade –

Paddington Bear would be proud!

The Rover Enthusiasts South West who have organised several Classic car events as well as supported us at our events raising

just short of £2,000!

St Aubyn Estates for choosing to support Cornwall Air Ambulance during 2013 having

already raised a whopping £3,386.65 in 2012.

To the organisers of the Psychic Fayres where our volunteers managed

to raise £450 on raffles

Sharps Brewery for donating £3,500 worth of Doom Bar and t-shirts for various events

over the past year. We are looking forward to working more closely with them in the next 12

months – watch this space!

All of our London Marathon runners including Vicki (left) and Jane (right) who have been busy

training and fundraising – good luck guys!



What will YOU do to ‘Fund a Flight’?After the success of our first Fund a Flight fundraising week in 2012, celebrating National Air Ambulance Week, we want you to help make Fund a Flight Week 2013 (Monday 23rd September to Sunday 29th September) bigger and better than ever!

Last year our supporters really got behind the week and we had some truly weird and wonderful fundraising ideas! From old favourites such as coffee mornings, cake sales and pub quizzes to more daring sponsored waxing’s (!), baths of baked beans and sponsored job swaps – our wonderful supporters really got behind our inaugural event and helped to raise over £8,000!

This year we are hoping that we will be able to raise even more during the week and we are appealing to the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to help us to keep YOUR air ambulance flying. So why not pop the dates in your diary and get your creative juices flowing! It doesn’t matter how big or small the event is– to coin a phrase, ‘every little helps’!

We can provide you with collection buckets, t-shirts and literature to promote your event and might even be able to pop in to your event and say a few words of thanks to everyone taking part. If you would like to tell us what you are planning to do, we would love to hear from you. Our team is standing by to help in any way that we can – please call 01637 889926 or email [email protected]

The figure 5 was prominent in the

prizes on offer in our Grand Easter Draw.

1ST PRIZE – £5555

2nd PRIZE – £555

Plus... 5 x £55 & 55 x £5

The Draw was to be held on April 1st the 26th anniversary of the Air Ambulance appearing in the skies over Cornwall. Winner of the 1st Prize, the largest ever paid by Cornwall Air Care, was eighty eight year old Jim Trewhella of Penzance. When contacted

with news of his big win he initially thought he was the victim of an April Fool scam. He later informed us that he and his wife Dorothy would take their time deciding what to do with their winnings. However a holiday in Portugal where their daughter

has a villa is high on their list.

For a full list of winners send a self addressed envelope to: Cornwall Air Care Lottery, 21A Brunel Road, Saltash PL12 6LF

CORNWALL AIR CARE – THE BIG 5 LOTTERY

Peter Sleep of Sleep & Hill Motors, Tamar View Industrial Estate Saltash, our vehicle sponsor, draws the winning tickets



Plant Sale is Back!Last year we held our first plant sale at our airbase and it was a roaring success, so we’re all looking forward to this year’s event on Sunday 16th June. As with last year, all the plants will be donated from local garden centres so all the proceeds will go directly to support your air ambulance. There will be a great range of plants to buy and a horticultural themed raffle with some fantastic prizes to be won!

Brown Willy for KiliOur Kilimanjaro trekkers have had their first taste of climbing to the highest point in a country! Well, Cornwall at least!

On a windy, wet and bitterly cold day at the start of February, our adventurers gathered in a car park on a rather bleak Bodmin Moor to conquer Brown Willy. Surprisingly, we didn’t see any other walkers out enjoying the seasonal weather. The weather conditions proved a good test for our trekkers’ walking gear and helped create strong bonds within the group, not to mention making the Sunday roast and pint (or two) laid on at St Breward’s Old Inn taste even better!

On the fundraising front, our trekkers are doing a sterling job. At the last count, they have raised a combined total of over £30,000. This amount alone will fund around 20 missions.

Our trekkers’ ingenious ways of fundraising never cease to amaze us. One has been sponsored to teach her dog to dance, whilst others are organising charity balls and auction nights. One of our walkers is giving talks to community groups with her owl, whilst another has found his ‘Quizimanjaro’ idea to be a huge hit!

The fundraising is all part of the challenge of an adventure like climbing Kilimanjaro and it’s one our fundraisers certainly seem to be relishing!

With less than 6 months to go, the funds are coming in, the training regimes are stepping up a gear, and close friendships and bonds are forming within the group that will ultimately help get everyone to the summit. OK so the highest point in Cornwall may only be 420 metres high, compared to Kilimanjaro’s 5,895 metres, but it’s a large step in the right direction!

If hearing about our Kilimanjaro trek has got your adrenaline going and you want to set yourself a challenge please contact the fundraising team on 01637 889926 to hear about some of the exciting things we we have up our sleeves!

The sale opens at 11am and goes on until 3:30pm and is also opportunity to come and say hello to the team and find out how else you might be able to get involved in the charity. There’s on-site parking and refreshments available – we look forward to seeing you!

Did you know...

...We need to raise £2m a year to keep Cornwall’s Air Ambulance flying?

Have you ever been airlifted?

If so we would love to hear your story!

Please contact us on 01637 889926



OPENING SOON! OPENING SOON! OPENING SOON! OPENING SOON!

OPENING SOON! OPENING SOON! OPENING SOON! OPENING SOON!

St Austell Furniture SuperstoreOur long awaited new Superstore in St Austell is due to open its doors to our supporters in early May. Based in the old GT Motorcycles showrooms (7-13 Clifton Road), our new store will sell everything from furniture to bric a brac and clothing. No doubt a kitchen sink will also be on sale somewhere along the line! Our fantastic new location means we will be very local to many, with easy access, not far from the town centre. There will also be car parking available for our customers and those wanting to drop off donations.

In order for us to stock our fabulous new premises, we need YOUR help! We are looking for donations big or small to ensure that when we

open our doors to the public we have a fully stocked superstore helping to raise funds to keep Cornwall’s Air Ambulance flying.

Any good quality donations such as bric a brac, toys, electrical and household goods, clothing, gardening equipment and furniture would be welcomed by our staff and volunteers at any of our current stores or at our head office. If you have large amounts (particularly of furniture) to donate we can arrange transport for collection – please call 01209 612404

If you would like to donate your time, why not volunteer for us at this shop? If you would like to know more then please call Jackie our Volunteer Co-ordinator on 01637 889926 for a chat.

Big Savings for your Big Day!A wedding should be one of the most memorable days of your life, even in these tough economic times. To help make your special day that little bit easier on the pocket, we are opening a bridal department in our Truro store, where customers can select beautiful wedding attire at a fraction of the price, whilst helping to keep Cornwall Air Ambulance flying. With a stunning selection of wedding attire for the bride, bridesmaids and mother of the bride, as well as a sensational collection of prom dresses, the new department will help ensure your special day doesn’t have to cost the earth.

Retail Manager, Julie says; “We have already been overwhelmed with the quality of the wedding dresses that have been donated and are sure that they will be truly valued by their new owners. Donating any item – from dresses to shoes and fascinators – is a great way to make sure the clothing that made your wedding day so special can continue to provide benefits by helping save lives in Cornwall and not just sit there gathering dust in your wardrobe.”

The new department is now up and running so why not pop along to 9 King Street Truro today!

Gift Aid your charity shop donationsWe’re sure you know by now that Gift Aid is worth thousands of pounds to the charity each year, and the good news is that now anything you donate to our charity shops can be Gift Aided! We have been running a Gift Aid scheme for donated furniture since 2011, but unlike the large national charities we do not have sophisticated till systems in our shops and so until now we have not been able to track smaller donations for Gift Aid, such as clothing or books. However, this is about to change very soon as we have found a middle-ground manual system that allows us to run a full retail Gift Aid scheme without incurring large set-up costs. We hope that this will be going live in May, so look out for posters in your local Cornwall Air Ambulance shop or ask in store.

Hazel Coley…. a long standing volunteer in our Wadebridge shop

In July 2010, Hazel noticed an advert in a shop window in Wadebridge looking for volunteers for the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust. She applied and when the shop opened the following month, Hazel began volunteering in what she calls ‘a really friendly atmosphere’. With her background working at Boots and as a Doctor’s receptionist, Hazel felt that she wanted to give something back to the community and she knew that Cornwall Air Ambulance was a great charity.

Whilst in the shop, she helps to sort donations, price goods and looks after the needs of the customers. One thing that Hazel is always surprised about is the quality of the donations that come in. “I’m amazed at the high quality of clothes we get and sometimes these are so good they can be used for special occasions like proms or even weddings.”

She loves going into the shop, even when she’s not down on the rota and finds that the positive comments that she receives like “I can’t believe this is a charity shop” really encouraging. In nearly three years, Hazel has met both regular customers and holidaymakers who have talked positively about their own experiences with the work of the helicopter and for Hazel that is what it’s all about!

There are currently lots of volunteer opportunities available in St Austell, Falmouth and Saltash. Please call Jackie on 01637 889926 for more information.

All you will need to do is to fill out a single page declaration and then you’ll get a membership card to keep. Just remember to show this to the volunteers each time you bring donations to the shop, and we do the rest! If you donate goods regularly or know you would like to sign up in advance, just drop Charity HQ a line on 01637 889926. Let us know which of our shops you visit regularly and we will add you to the membership of that shop, so whenever you bring them goods they will know you can Gift Aid.

Gift Aid is tax that charities can claim back from HMRC – currently 25p in every £1 – so for a small amount of administration the charity can get a really valuable boost in income!

We currently have shops in Camborne, St Austell, Helston, Penzance, Truro, Wadebridge and Saltash and all of them will be running the scheme.


page 10 | Spring 2013 | Issue 4#

Events Calendar 2013April

13th Craft Fayre, Camelford Hall, Camelford

14th Drive it in Cornwall 2013 – organised by the Rotary Club in Truro

20th Supermarket collection – Morrisons, Penzance

23rd Peter Crawford, 24 gigs in 24 hours, Saltash & Plymouth Area

23rd Helston WI fashion show

28th Plymouth Half Marathon

May

4th St Columb Minor Residents Association spring fayre

11th St Agnes Rugby Match, St Agnes

12th Pirates of St Piran, Supermarket collection, Asda, St Austell

19th Kilimanjaro Supermarket Collection, Sainburys, Newquay

25th – 27th Ride On! 3 day bike ride from Bude to Land’s End

27th St Agnes Victorian Fayre, St Agnes

June

2nd Cornwall Festival of Motoring, St Austell Rugby Club

5th – 15th Spirit of Truro Event on the Piazza, Truro.

6th – 8th Royal Cornwall Show, Wadebridge

9th Paddle for Life, Newquay

16th Bridgerule Open Gardens, Bridgerule

16th CAAT Plant Sale – Air Ambulance Headquarters, Newquay

July

6th Callington Carnival Street Collection, Callington

13th Asda Supermarket collection, St Austell

19th – 21st Boconnoc Steam Fair, Liskeard

26th Adventure Events: Cornwall Summer Events 2013 commence

27th Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust Summer Ball, Charity HQ

August

3rd Port Navas Regatta

3rd Supermarket collection, Asda St Austell

9th – 12th Mousehole Carnival

18th Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust Family Fun Day, Pencarrow Estate nr Bodmin

22nd Cornwall Air Ambulance Day, Land’s End

24th – 26th Morval Vintage Rally, nr Looe

For more info about any of our events, please contact the fundraising team at Charity HQ on 01637 889926.

“Never a Dull Day”by Liz one of our star volunteers!

“I absolutely love volunteering for Cornwall Air Ambulance – I know it is a cliché but every day really is different. I have been coming into the head office twice a week for about 6 months now and I help with answering the phone, supporting the fundraising team with their events, counting the collection jars and data inputting.

“I also support the team when they are out and about at events and have become an expert on raffles and teddy tombola’s! I have made some wonderful lifelong friends and really enjoy volunteering alongside the charity team and paramedics who keep me plied with tea and cake!

“I have so much fun when I am volunteering and I know that indirectly the time I donate to the charity ultimately helps to keep the helicopter flying. Hearing the 999 call siren and seeing the helicopter taking off through the window really does bring it home as to why I come in and I would not change it for the world.”

If you are interested in helping out at events, representing the charity at cheque presentations or in head office then please do call our Volunteer Coordinator Jackie on 01637 889926.

You have to be in it to win it!Schools throughout Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have been battling it out to be the lucky winners of a visit from our helicopter. All schools who have been fundraising for the charity since the beginning of September last year are in with a chance of having the helicopter land in their grounds and for the children to meet our real life heli-heroes!

We have seen some fantastic fundraising ideas from sponsored ‘step-up’s, ‘jogathons’ and sponsored three legged races, to the classic cake sales and dress down days! Pupils at one school even dressed up as Superheroes for the day!

It is not too late for schools to get involved, as the cut off to be entered into the draw is at the end of June so if your school would like to support Cornwall Air Ambulance please do get in touch!


#

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I would like to make a donationI enclose a cheque payable to “Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust’ for

c £5 c £30 c £100 c other £

Gift Aid: I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understand the charity will reclaim 28p of tax on every £1 that I gave up to April 2008 and will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give on or after 6 April 2008.

Please treat as Gift Aid donations all qualifying gifts of money made:

c Today c In the past 4 years c In the future

Please tick all boxes you wish to apply.

Name and full home address:

Signature: Date:

Please notify us if you wish to cancel this declaration, change your details or no longer pay sufficient tax.

Or make a regular donationTo: The Manager, Bank or Building Society

Address:

Postcode: Name/s of Account Holder/s:

Bank/Building Society Account Number / Sort Code

ref:

Amount to be debited £ (in words)

c Monthly c Quarterly c Annually Date of first payment / /

Until further notice / Date: / / (delete as appropriate)

Signature: Date:

For Charity Use Only:Please donate to Beneficiary Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust, Registered Charity 1133295. Bank name and address: HSBC, 3 Fore Street, Bodmin, Cornwall PL31 2HUAccount Number Sort Code

3 1 4 5 8 9 0 6 4 0 1 2 2 2

Please return to us at: Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust, Trevithick Downs, Newquay TR8 4DY

A day in the life of Paramedic Paul SymondsI’ve an early start – my alarm waking me at 05:45. Living in Launceston, I have to commute to the Cornwall Air Ambulance HQ. My shift starts at 07:30 but the helicopter needs to be ready for flight then. We will arrive slightly early and prepare the aircraft for use; this means the pilot moving the helicopter from the hangar to the helipad, and the two Paramedics making sure all of the patient monitoring equipment and drugs for administration are fully checked and ready. We carry as much if not more than a normal road ambulance in the way of tools, using specialist equipment and surgical procedures that set the helicopter apart from all road ambulances. This is one of the reasons the helicopter is such a vital resource in Cornwall, bringing Paramedics trained with extended surgical skills to the scene quickly, and of course the ability to fly a patient rapidly to the right treatment centre.

There’s never a dull moment on base, while not flying there’s always a job to do. We have a lot of administration tasks to complete during a typical day, including audits, recording any skills used, restocking, cleaning and refuelling the aircraft after each incident. As aircrew we are all working towards a university degree based in emergency care, as well as extending our training supported by specialist Doctors, so any time that is left in the day can be spent training or researching clinical studies.

Our day finishes when the aircraft is brought back into the hangar, cleaned and made ready for the next day, however this isn’t the end of my duties. Whilst treating a patient onboard the aircraft is a huge part of my job, we also see supporting the Air Ambulance charity as an equally important role. We all actively help in fundraising and can often be seen at events explaining a little about what we do and how we operate, and at the moment especially raising awareness of our team challenge; climbing Kilimanjaro in September this year. We even invite the public to come to see us at the airbase, especially those that may have been flown to hospital. It’s always very rewarding seeing someone fit and well again.

After such a busy day, attending up to six serious incidents in a day we’re all normally exhausted and getting home to a warm cup of tea and something to eat is a welcome relief, just time for an early night, rested for the next day’s work...

Where there is a Will there is a way...Did you know, every year, the Cornwall Air Ambulance receives about one third of its income from gifts left by people who have made a Will and decided to leave a sum of money, stocks and shares, valuable items or even their house to the Charity? Over the last year, our legacy gifts have ranged from £200 to £60,000. Three out of every ten emergency flights for the Cornwall Air Ambulance are funded in this way.

It’s a common myth that only the rich and famous leave money to charity and the reality is that without gifts left in wills by people like you, we would struggle to keep Cornwall Air Ambulance flying.

For a private and confidential conversation regarding leaving a gift in your Will to help fund future lifesaving flights please contact the Chief Executive Paula Martin on 01637 889926.


Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust Trevithick Downs Newquay Cornwall TR8 4DY

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#Get in touchPlease send me more information about (please tick all that apply):

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Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust will not pass your details to any other organisation. If you already receive information from Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust we will continue to send it unless you tell us otherwise by writing to Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust, Trevithick Downs, Newquay, Cornwall TR8 4DY.

Spring 2013 | Issue 4

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Documents

The Sky's The Limit - Spring 2013