Bag it up | Recycling to change lives

The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance receives no funding from central government or the national lottery. It relies solely on voluntary donations. It currently costs the charity £110,000 each month to keep the air ambulance flying and they couldn't do it without the constant support received  from the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.  Every day the air ambulance crew provides an efficient, prompt response to road traffic collisions, sporting accidents, collapses, and many other incidents throughout Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The air ambulance is usually airborne within four minutes. It flies at 140mph and from Thruxton Air Base it reaches most locations in Hampshire in fifteen minutes. Flights to the Isle of Wight take a little longer. A typical mission lasts about ninety minutes. One of the major benefits of the air ambulance is that patients can be taken quickly to the hospital which is most appropriate for their injury, rather than the nearest hospital. For example, if the patient was suffering from burns, they could be taken to the burns unit at Salisbury District Hospital, or if there was a suspected head injury, the patient could be taken to the neurological unit at Southampton General Hospital.

The air ambulance can now fly night transfers between approved sites but not HEMS missions. Landing on unknown terrain with the risk of unseen hazards, like telephone or power cables, would be unsafe. After the evening rush hour, the roads are usually less congested allowing comparable response time by land ambulances.

Many thanks to Phil Green Photography