21 Jun 2021
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, visited our helipad base at The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel last week, where he met with members of our crew and heard first-hand the way in which the service has adapted during the pandemic and continued to save lives in the capital.
Visiting on Thursday 17th June, The Mayor said London is lucky to have London’s Air Ambulance looking after it, and praised the work of the service’s advanced trauma teams who provide life-saving interventions at the scene of an incident when saving time equates to saving lives.
He met with the our Chief Executive, Jonathan Jenkins, and Medical Director, Tom Hurst, who showed him around the helipad and discussed how the service has adapted during the pandemic to continue its essential life-saving work. Other members of the crew attending included doctors, paramedics, pilots and firecrew who explained the challenges they face on the frontline.
Joining him were Bethnal Green and Bow MP, Rushnara Ali, and London Assembly Member Unmesh Desai, who spoke with the crew and the Mayor about the service and its plans for the future.
The Mayor urged Londoners to continue to support their local air ambulance charity, which has been hit hard by the pandemic and is forecasting a £6 million gap in income over the next five years. The charity relies heavily on public donations and since the pandemic began has had to stop many of its usual fundraising activities, and cancel or postpone a number of crucial events.
Speaking after the visit, the Mayor said:
"On behalf of Londoners, I’d like to thank London’s Air Ambulance for the incredible lifesaving work they do every single day. They truly are the very best of us. Like so many charities, they rely on donations and their fundraising has been hit hard by the pandemic - I urge Londoners to continue supporting this vital service."
