The Great Western Air Ambulance Service (GWAA) is one of the youngest Air Ambulances in the country having been founded as a charity in 2008 with its local base currently in Filton. The Air Ambulance teams provide specialist emergency care to incidents that take place in areas that cannot be accessed by road and in critical cases where urgent care is required.
In the 2014 Autumn Statement, Chancellor George Osbourne announced a raft of measures to support nationwide air ambulances services, with GWAA alone receiving a £1 Million grant that allowed the charity to run its EC135 helicopter for a year. This money was funded via fines levied on banks for misconduct.
One of the main points of the discussion between Local MP Luke and GWAA Volunteers centred around local fundraising efforts in communities including the Air Ambulance Lottery which the charity runs.
Along with discussions regarding the future plans for a new base in the area Luke had the chance to meet and thank some of the medical team, crew and fundraisers involved with operations and efforts to keep the charity going.
After the visit Luke said: “Seeing first-hand the work that goes into providing this service for our area was really inspiring. The team, from the fundraisers to the pilots, are really dedicated to ensuring that the service remains in the air and able to get to residents at the most critical times. I cannot thank everyone at Great Western Air Ambulance enough for the work they do for South Gloucestershire and beyond. I would recommend that when residents have the chance they look up some of the real stories of how GWAA have help in our area”.