| This year alone the unit has attended to over 800 callouts either with their helicopters or rapid response vehicles.The charity’s ongoing public fundraising appeal, the New Heli Appeal, aims to raise £2.5m to bring a new Leonardo AW169 helicopter to Cornwall by for April 2020. The new Sonosite scanner will be in service with all paramedics trained in its use.
Sally-Jane Coode DL, DHC Chair of Grants, presented the giant cheque and said,
“What a fantastic team they have, so welcoming to us but clearly dedicated to the health and well-being of all the people of Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly. Their spirit, camaraderie and wonderful expertise helps save so many lives each year – often putting themselves at great risk. We are so indebted to them and proud to support so worthy a cause and one which sits at the heart of what DHC believes in.”
The Trustees were received by Jackie Southon, Fundraising Director, Steve Murdoch, Chief Operating Officer and Cath Collier, Fundraising Officer who laid on a great show in tribute to the charity’s generosity and Trustees even experienced a call-out at the last minute to a patient in need of critical care.
The charity receives no government funding towards these ongoing operating costs – they are funded by the generosity of the Cornish public and visitors. |
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On Wednesday 5 September 2019 Trustees and their families from Duchy Health Charity were shown around the Cornwall Air Ambulance HQ based at Newquay Airport, where the new Sonosite iVz ultrasound system recently granted to the charity was demonstrated with the help of Receptionist Dave Withers who bravely volunteered for an upper-body scan.“Oh look he has a heart”, said Critical Care Paramedic Jeremy Griffiths, “and his liver’s not fatty either, how surprising!” Such is the good-humoured banter that goes with undertaking dangerous missions that rely on great team building.