Grant UK is pleased to announce that it will be supporting Wiltshire Air Ambulance throughout 2019. Following a staff vote, Grant UK selected this local charity, which provides a vital emergency service in Wiltshire and surrounding counties, to be the recipient of the money raised from its 2019 fundraising activities.
For a number of years, Grant UK’s employees have participated in a selection of fundraising events to support local causes, raising money for organisations such as Julia’s House which has been the Company’s chosen charity since 2016. Towards the end of 2018, a ballot was open which invited members of staff to cast their vote to select Grant UK’s charity of choice for 2019. Wiltshire Air Ambulance received the majority of support and was thus selected.
Founded in 1990, Wiltshire Air Ambulance is a registered charity which provides helicopter emergency medical service support throughout Wiltshire and neighboring areas. The airbase is located near Melksham which is less than ten miles from Grant UK’s headquarters in Devizes. Alongside its principal helicopter, Wiltshire Air Ambulance also has a fleet of Rapid Response Cars which combined enable the charity to be available nineteen hours a day all year round.
Since the charity started, the crew has flown over 17,000 missions. Its central airbase enables the helicopter to reach anywhere in Wiltshire within just eleven minutes and in 2018 alone, they completed 1,103 missions. All of the paramedics at Wiltshire Air Ambulance are trained in critical care skills and the charity also has the facilities to carry blood. Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s resources therefore allow its team to provide an essential medical service, delivering life-saving care to those involved in critical incidents including road traffic collisions, child-related emergencies and cardiac arrests.
“Grant UK is proud to support local charities and their valuable causes,” writes Paul Wakefield, Managing Director at Grant UK. “As our employees are central to the fundraising activities that we organise here, it was important for them to be part of the selection process for Grant UK’s 2019 charity.
“Wiltshire Air Ambulance is another local charity whose essential work and service may be needed by any one of us in our hour of need,” continues Paul. “Grant UK’s 2019 charity schedule is already underway with some of our staff members undertaking ‘Dry January’ with their sponsorship raised being donated to Wiltshire Air Ambulance. The charity relies on public donations so we hope that our fundraising will help keep their vital air ambulance flying for many more years to come.”
Beth Gardner, Fundraising Manager at Wiltshire Air Ambulance, commented, “We’re delighted that staff from Grant UK have chosen their local air ambulance to support in the year ahead. Business support from across Wiltshire plays a key role in keeping our air ambulance flying and saving lives, so to have Devizes-based Grant UK backing us is fantastic. We look forward to working closely with the Grant UK Team on their fundraising efforts throughout 2019, which I’m sure will provide huge benefits for their staff and customers alike.”