Downturn hits air ambulance funds

The trust says it needs to raise £2m a year for the helicopter to fly every day

An air ambulance charity has said it is struggling for cash during the downturn as it celebrates its 10th anniversary.

The Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance, which serves Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, costs £2m a year to run.

Fundraisers said it was becoming increasingly hard to reach that target.

The helicopter ensures patients are transferred to hospital in the crucial "golden hour" - when doctors have the best chance of saving lives.

During its anniversary celebrations on Sunday it was called out to assist in a mid-air crash in Oxfordshire.

Air cadet Nicholas Rice, 15, died along with 62-year-old RAF reservist Michael Blee.

The trust was also called to Abingdon race track the same day where five people were injured when a rally car left a circuit.

'Hosed down'

Trustee Anne Overin said: "We had an incident recently on the M4 where the crew went to a gentleman trapped in a van by his ankles, and there was a great danger that the van would set on fire.

"The crew had to be hosed down with water when they were attending to the patient."

She added it would be good to receive grants rather than relying on public donations.

The service receives most of its cash from people in Berkshire, so earlier this year launched a campaign to get more Oxfordshire residents to donate.

Mrs Overin said: "If we don't raise the £2m then the helicopter wouldn't be able to fly possibly every day of the week.

"We receive no funding from the government at the moment and we receive no funding from the lottery at the moment."

The trust was established in 1998 and has been called to just under 11,000 missions over the past 10 years.

Celebrations were held at Odney Club in Cookham, Berkshire, on Sunday where crew members were reunited with patients.