Dr Gareth Davies, Medical Director of the London’s Air Ambulance charity and Consultant at Barts Health NHS Trust said:
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends, families and colleagues of those who lost their lives or were injured at the tragic incident in Westminster yesterday.
"Our team worked alongside other emergency services, including the London Ambulance Service, the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade, to assess and treat multiple casualties.
Our charity has strengthened its Board with the appointment of three new Trustees. Their names are Adrian Walker, Bob Forsyth and Ed Owen and they bring with them a wealth of experience across the charity, banking and finance, communications, accounting, audit and governance and medical research sectors.
Brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability through injury. It has long been considered that consequences of brain injury is from the impact on brain tissue itself, sometimes complicated by oxygen starvation from other injuries.
For another year, families, friends and co-workers came together to celebrate Shrove Tuesday at the Great Spitalfields Pancake Race. The race was organised by Alternative Arts and raised vital funds for our charity.
17 teams gathered at the The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane on 28th February, ready to run and toss pancakes on their way to victory. Among the competitors were runners dressed as Batman, Darth Vader and the Minions. After a dramatic round of heats, the race concluded with a final that was so close judges had to review video footage to decide who was the winner.
As our charity's three year partnership with Hogan Lovells comes to an end, we are celebrating all the support we have received from the law firm since our cooperation began in January 2014.
Our link with Hogan Lovells dates back to 2005, when both of our organisations played a significant part in the 7/7 bombings. On the ground, London's Air Ambulance helped triage and treat over 700 patients. After the emergency services had played their vital role, Hogan Lovells helped victims and their families claim compensation in the aftermath of the bombings.
London Freemasons have presented London’s Air Ambulance with a surprise cheque for £100,000 at a lunch to thank them for their contributions to our second helicopter.
Back in March 2015, London Freemasons pledged £2 million towards ‘Your London, Your Helicopter campaign’ to help us purchase a second helicopter for London. Thanks to the individual fundraising efforts of the organisation’s 40,000 members from 1,350 lodges across the capital, the full amount was raised within 18 months and London now has the resilience of a second emergency medical helicopter.
We are excited to announce that our charity now fully owns both of its helicopters. This will free up additional funds month on month and means greater stability for our service, and it’s all thanks to continued contributions from our incredible supporters.
Until a few months ago, both of our MD-902 Explorers (G-EHMS and G-LNDN) were partially owned by the bank, with London’s Air Ambulance making monthly repayments with a view to eventually owning both aircraft.
Yvonne, 3rd year Law student at University of Westminster, reflects on a year of volunteering at London's Air Ambulance.
"I decided to volunteer for London's Air Ambulance as I wanted to make a difference and to do something worthwhile with my spare time. I felt that London's Air Ambulance was a great charity to support as they provide an important service, one that anyone in London could require.
To mark Student Volunteering Week, Student Paramedic Alex Grant, tells us about volunteering for London's Air Ambulance as a photographer and speaker.
"I decided to volunteer for London's Air Ambulance because I feel very passionately about pre-hospital trauma care. As a Student Paramedic at Anglia Ruskin University, my frontline placements are with the London Ambulance Service so this has inspired me to volunteer for London's Air Ambulance.
We were delighted to welcome Leslie Camfield from Essex and Pamela Hall from Greenwich to our helipad this week, after they both scooped the top prize of £1000 in our weekly lottery.
As a charity, we rely on fundraising to help us deliver our service, which costs £8.7 million per year. The lottery provides us with a vital source of regular income, whilst also offering players the chance to win £1000 each week.
