News / #BristolCharityAdvent

Bristol Charity Advent Calendar 2019, day 5:  Great Western Air Ambulance Charity

By Ellie Pipe  Wednesday Dec 4, 2019

The Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) team will be working throughout the festive season to provide life-saving treatment across the region.

The crucial service operates 365 days a year and is reliant on charitable donations to keep it flying, bringing the skills and expertise of an in-hospital emergency department straight to the scene of the most critically ill or injured patients.

………………………………

Independent journalism
is needed now More than ever
Keep our city's journalism independent.
Community member Find out more

Bristol24/7 relies on your support to fund our independent journalism and social impact projects. Become a member and enjoy exclusive perks from just £5 per month.

………………………………

When Michelle Child took a fall from her horse, she suffered a brain injury and needed emergency care fast. GWAAC’s critical care team was able to stabilise her and administer a general anaesthetic, before transferring her to Southmead Hospital, the nearest major trauma centre.

Michelle’s mum Sarah said: “If you hadn’t been there to help us it could have been very, very different. Her heart rate was all over the place and she wasn’t breathing properly. It just doesn’t bear thinking about, it’s made a massive difference to our lives.”

Each call out costs an average of £1,750 and the team attends more than five incidents a day on average. 2019 is on track to be the busiest year to date, with more than 1,600 call outs recorded from January to October.

Critical care doctor Matt Campbell said: “Whilst we hope you or your loved ones will never need our services, we want to make sure we are here for you if you do. We’ll be working this Christmas to make sure we can keep more families together for many more Christmases to come.’’

GWAAC has to raise more than £3m every year to continue providing its life-saving service. The charity has launched a Christmas Mission fundraising campaign to help meet this target.

To find out more or to support the mission, visit: www.justgiving.com/campaign/christmasmission

Main photo by Tammy Lynn

Read more: Meet the freewheelers

 

Tags:

Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
I want to receive (tick as many as you want):
I'm interested in (for future reference):
Marketing Permissions

Bristol24/7 will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing. Please let us know all the ways you would like to hear from us:

We will only use your information in accordance with our privacy policy, which can be viewed here - main-staging.bristol247.com/privacy-policy/ - you can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at meg@bristol247.com. We will treat your information with respect.


We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Most read

Related articles

You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Independent journalism
is needed now More than ever
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Community member
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Join the Better
Business initiative
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Monthly £180/month* Annually £2000/year*
* prices do not include VAT
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Enjoy delicious local
exclusive deals
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Community member
Wake up to the latest
Get the breaking news, events and culture in your inbox every morning
Sign up
×

Select Your Membership