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Aiding the air ambulances
During the Spring, Air Ambulance charities
have been welcoming local Masons at
their bases to present donations from The
Freemasons’ Grand Charity totalling a
magnificent £190,000. The money will help
air ambulances across England and Wales to
continue providing potentially life-saving
support to the communities they serve.
The grants are a valuable contribution
towards the financial costs of what is the
busiest voluntary emergency service in the
country. Responding to a range of incidents,
the air ambulances cost around £500,000
per week to operate. This enormous
financial burden is met almost entirely
by donations from the public.
Collectively, the 16 air ambulance
charities in England and Wales fly around
17,500 missions per year. Put another way,
during any daylight hour, seven of 22
helicopters are attending the scene of an
accident or other medical trauma. During
these missions, the ambulances help patients
access the hospital with the specialist skills
for their needs as quickly as possible.
The crew, comprising pilot, doctors,
paramedics and nurse can be airborne within
minutes of a call being received. This is a vital
feature of the service, because patients have
a greater chance of survival if they reach
hospital within 60 minutes of the incident.
The speed with which air ambulances
are able to respond and transport patients
maximises the value of this golden hour.
Speaking about the grant, David
Philpott, chairman of the Association of Air
Ambulance Charities, said:
“Over the years, Freemasons have always
been generous supporters of regional
air ambulance charities. However, this
co-ordinated gift of £190,000 represents
the largest single donation ever to air
ambulance charities.
“The Association of Air Ambulance
Charities applauds not only the
generosity of The Freemasons’ Grand
Charity, but also the way in which it
has been distributed. By dividing funds
up in the way that it has, the Grand
Charity has recognised the uniqueness
of each regional charity, and in so doing
has given local Freemasons a sense
of ownership of their local service.
I cannot overestimate the importance
of these donations”.
The popularity of the air ambulances is
in no small part because, whilst everyone
hopes they will never need the services they
provide, it is reassuring to know that they
are on standby.
The Freemasons’ Grand Charity is proud
to be associated with this vital service and
its rapid response to road traffic collisions,
medical emergencies and other incidents
365 days of the year.
Supporting people in need
60 Great Queen Street
London wc2b 5az
T: 020 7395 9261
Fax: 020 7395 9295
Email: info@the-grand-charity.org
Web site: www.grandcharity.org
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Local Masons have been
distributing Cheques on behalf
of the Freemasons’ Grand Charity
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Copyright 2002-2007
MQ Magazine
Web site created by Mark Griffin
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