• Swindon & Wiltshire Community champions
• Wednesday January 17 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Wiltshire Air Ambulance hikes fundraising target to keep service airborne

The annual cost of keeping the Wiltshire Air Ambulance airborne has risen to £4.5 million – leaving the charity with an extra £500,000 to raise in 2024.

The fundraising total is almost 12 per cent higher than the £4 million required last year, say charity bosses.

It costs £12,000 a day to keep the service in operation. Last year the air ambulance was called to 1,167 incidents across Wiltshire, Bath and surrounding areas, which represented an increase in clinical need of 10.6 per cent on the previous 12-month period.

Wiltshire Air Ambulance receives no regular direct Government funding or National Lottery grants.

The charity said costs had risen “due to a culmination of factors.”

Charity chairman Rob Kevan said: “We continue to build resilience within our aircrew rota, with more pre-hospital doctors now on board than ever before.

“In addition, we remain committed to advancing the training and development of our critical care paramedics and trainee critical care paramedics.

“However, in our endeavour to enhance our patient care, with investment in clinical upskilling we have to contend with rising costs, including fuel and utility bills, and those associated with our Devizes charity shop.

“Subsequently, our fundraising need has risen to £4.5 million each year, which put into greater context means generating over £12,000 every single day.”