Ambulance UK - June 2021

NEWSLINE
LNAA
Lincs & Notts
Air Ambulance
receives keys to new
Headquarters
HELP Appeal funds its new
helipad
The Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance
(LNAA) has taken possession of
its new Headquarters based on
A15 Sleaford Road, next to RAF
Waddington.
The new purpose-built home,
which will see staff, crew,
helicopter and Critical Care
Cars under one roof for the very
first time, will provide a unique
opportunity for the charity
to welcome former patients,
schools, volunteers, donors
and fundraisers to see how their
support really makes a difference.
The crew and helicopter moved
into the new headquarters and
airbase in April and staff hope to
join them in their new offices once
Government restrictions have
been lifted at the end of June.
Chief Executive Officer Karen
Jobling received the keys from
builders Lindum Construction
this afternoon. She said: “I am
absolutely delighted to have
received the keys for our new
headquarters. Years of planning
has gone into our new, futureproof
headquarters; our new
facility will be fundamental to our
success for a rapidly advancing
operation.”
“With our day-to-day operations
solely funded by donations, we
were delighted when we secured
a capital funding grant for this
new build. It was a real boost and
at a time when we needed it and
has allowed our dream of a new
headquarters to become a reality.
“Our crew and charity staff are
looking forward to moving into
their new home and we cannot
wait to welcome visitors when
restrictions allow.”
A brand-new helipad situated at
the site of the new headquarters
has been funded from the HELP
Appeal, the only charity in the
country dedicated to funding
helipads at NHS hospitals and
also helps with the funding of
helipads at AA bases.
The HELP Appeal covered the
entire £316,152.55 cost of building
the new helipad, which features
state-of-the-art lighting to enable
LNAA to operate around the clock
as the charity carries out more
missions through the night. The
donation also funded a helicopter
manoeuvring area to ensure that
the helicopter is ready for take-off
before its next mission.
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive
of the HELP Appeal said: “The
LNAA’s new airbase helipad will
be a vital element in ensuring
the crew’s success in delivering
a rapid response to critically
ill patients in the region. With
advanced lighting technology,
LNAA crew can fly anytime of the
day or night to the most serious
incidents to transfer patients in
urgent need of specialist care
to hospital. The crew can then
return to land safely back at their
new airbase and be ready for
whenever they are needed again.
“This is the charity’s 9th helipad
to be funded at an air ambulance
air base and the 42nd helipad
across the entire country. It’s a
huge milestone and I’m delighted
that we are able to support the
life-saving work of the team at
LNAA.”
Llewis Enamels, Chief Pilot at
Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance,
said: “We’d like to extend a huge
thank you to the HELP Appeal
for their very generous donation
towards our new bespoke helipad.
There is an awful lot of design and
technology that goes into a helipad
for latest generation helicopter
operations like ours, such as
specialised reinforced concrete
without the use of metals, infrared
landing lights for use through night
vision goggles & composite radar
friendly fencing.
“Their generosity has allowed us
to design exactly what we need.”
In 2019, the HELP Appeal
donated £69,000 to fund the
installation and upgrade of
helipad lights at three different
landing sites frequently used
by the LNAA’s life-saving crew,
including Fenland Airfield in South
Lincolnshire and Nottingham
Airport (Tollerton). To date, the
HELP Appeal has donated over
£385,000 to LNAA.
The HELP Appeal and Lincs &
Notts Air Ambulance rely solely
on charitable donations and do
not receive any direct government
funding or money from the
National Lottery for day-to-day
operations.
For more information on the HELP
Appeal visit www.helpappeal.
org.uk or call 0800 3898 999.
To find out more about the lifesaving
work of the Lincs & Notts
Air Ambulance, visit
www.ambucopter.org.uk
EMAS
Australian
partnership goes
from strength to
strength
Moving away from home to
start a new job in a new area is
always daunting - but imagine
moving over 11,000 miles away
from everything you know to
start a new life in the UK.
That’s exactly what our new
Australian paramedics have
done as they have made the East
Midlands their home and coming
to work for EMAS.
Working predominantly with
Charles Sturt University in
New South Wales and other
universities in the surrounding
areas, EMAS has provided a
number of opportunities over the
last two years for Newly Qualified
Paramedics to come work on the
frontline in the East Midlands.
With over 50 Australian
paramedics now at EMAS,
we asked them about their
experience so far and how they
are finding life in the UK.
Maddison Brown, 21 from
Bathurst, New South Wales is one
of our newest Australian recruits
to the service having arrived only
two months ago on a wintery day
in February.
Leaving behind her exceptionally
proud family, Maddison took the
leap to join the service, seeing the
opportunity as an adventure of a
lifetime.
She said: “Leaving home was
hard, especially as I am only
21 but my family know how
passionate I am about the job
that I do and have told me how
proud they are of me taking this
opportunity.
“As soon as I had my interview
with EMAS, it was sold to me. I
knew it would be more than just a
job, it is like a family.
“I very quickly realised how
different it would be in the UK
when we were met with snow
as we flew into the country and
everything being on lockdown.
“It has been slightly strange
having to quarantine and not
being able to explore my new
home, but I am so fortunate to
have bonded really well with
my cohort and formed close
friendships with them already.
AMBULANCE UK - JUNE
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