Chideock WI September Meeting
Here we are, back from summer, or baked from summer….!
In a change from the listed talk, what a truly inspirational talk we received from John Preston, representing Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. Since his retirement as a Coast Guard Rescue Officer, during which time he was involved in 700 rescues, John has volunteered for D&S Air Ambulance. He told us that the 21 Air Ambulance services that cover the UK respond to over 45,000 missions per year, on average 126 missions every day. Since its establishment in 2000 The D&S Air Ambulance service has grown in size, now owning 2 helicopters and 2 critical care vehicles, each hosting 2 medical staff and a range of excellent equipment, now moving to an airbase provided free courtesy of Leonardo. Overall the service operates every day and is working towards 24 hour cover. Attending road traffic accidents, trauma (eg falling from a cliff), cardiac arrests and other medical emergencies, as well as transfer of patients to specialist units (eg for burns) and delivering blood, the service does, without doubt, save lives.
John’s talk was responded to with spontaneous and heartfelt testimonies from those present who had themselves benefitted from the D&S Air Ambulance service. It costs £10 million per year to run and is funded entirely as a charity. John outlined a range of activities which support fundraising: through talks, events, sale of merchandise, legacies, collection and even clothes recycling. The Bridport Co-Op has raised £50,000 over 10 years through sale of second hand books. John also described the D&S Air Ambulance Lottery, entry costs £5 per month and yields excellent cash rewards. John encouraged us to get the WHAT3WORDS app on our phones as it enables the D&S Air Ambulance service to pinpoint the person(s) in need and rapidly find a suitable landing place. John’s talk was very well received, we are so lucky to have such a wonderful service in our area.