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Wales Air Ambulance Welcomes £5K Donation from Swansea Building Society

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The Wales Air Ambulance Charitable Trust has welcomed a £5,000 donation from Swansea Building Society – funds it said are much-needed due to the way in which the coronavirus pandemic has limited many forms of fundraising. 

The Wales Air Ambulance is Swansea Building Society’s official charity for 2020, having been voted for by its staff. With UK charitable donations falling during lockdown, a donation such as this has been greatly appreciated by this valuable medical rescue service.

Swansea Building Society, with branch offices in Swansea, Mumbles, Carmarthen and Cowbridge, has seen the fund-raising activities staff had planned for 2020 either cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19.

However, the team at Swansea Building Society recognised the importance of being able to help the Wales Air Ambulance with running costs during this period; unusually, therefore, the Society has made this sizable donation earlier than originally planned.

Richard Miles, Swansea Building Society’s head of savings, said:

“Usually we would have given the full amount raised at the end of the year, but – due to the circumstances – we have made this donation earlier in order to help Wales Air Ambulance with their ongoing running costs.

“We had lots of group fundraising activities planned for the year, but COVID has, unfortunately, meant that they haven’t been able to go ahead. However, I’m sure that the staff will come up with some safe fundraising ideas to continue raising money over the next few months.”

Wales Air Ambulance is funded entirely by the people of Wales. The charity does not receive direct funding from the government, and it does not qualify for National Lottery funding. Instead, it relies on the support of the Welsh public to help keep the helicopters flying. Its helicopters are kept in the air solely through charitable donations, fundraising events and membership of its in‐house Lifesaving Lottery.

With four airbase operations in Caernarfon, Llanelli, Welshpool and Cardiff, Wales Air Ambulance can be there for anyone in Wales within 20 minutes. As well as flying patients to hospital, they bring A&E directly to patients.

The on‐board critical care consultants and practitioners have some of the most pioneering equipment and skills in the world. They deliver emergency treatments usually not available outside of a hospital environment, including the ability to conduct blood transfusions, administer anaesthetics, offer strong painkillers, and conduct a range of medical procedures. This means that patients receive advanced care before they even reach the hospital.

The helicopters currently operate 12‐hours a day, 8am to 8pm, but the Charity would like to run a helicopter 24/7 by the end of 2020. To achieve this, Wales Air Ambulance needs to raise £8 million every year.

Alun Williams, chief executive of Swansea Building Society, said: 

“It’s a great privilege to be able to support Wales Air Ambulance this year – particularly in light of the pandemic and the drop in donations to the charitable sector. I am very proud of the generosity and ingenuity of the staff in raising the funds, despite difficult circumstances. Wales Air Ambulance needs to raise £8 million every year to operate the service and we hope the society’s efforts will go some way to helping them achieve this.

“Our charitable activities help to bring Swansea Building Society together as a team and allow us to give something back to the areas in which we operate. I’m sure that the remainder of the year will see us raise even more money for this vital service.”

Steffan Anderson-Thomas, corporate & events lead for Wales Air Ambulance Charitable Trust, said:

“We very much appreciate the donation from Swansea Building Society. We are all working hard to achieve our aim of becoming a 24/7 service, and support like this will help to ensure we will be available for the people of Wales, around the clock. The staff at Swansea Building Society have done an amazing job raising these funds, particularly when you consider the events of the past few months, so we give heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed.”

Business News Wales