Ready for take off

Cornwall Air Ambulance appeals for support after a busy summer season.

The record-breaking heat this summer meant that more tourists than ever flocked to Cornwall’s coast to seek refuge by the crystal clear waters and sandy beaches of our stunning coastline. However, the influx of people has also meant that the Cornwall Air Ambulance has experienced one of its busiest years to date.

“The lifesaving charity, which relies on donations to fly, predicts that the end of the year total will be around 800 helicopter missions…”

New figures reveal that from January to August, Cornwall Air Ambulance flew 544 missions compared with 465 emergency missions during the same period in 2017. The critical care car has been on 215 call-outs so far this year and the crew have attended 414 medical incidents and dealt with 342 trauma-related injuries. And in the peak visitor months of July and August 2018, missions increased by nearly 40% compared to the same months in 2017.

As many tourists aren’t as surf savvy as us locals, or as used to driving along the narrow lanes, the unfortunate reality is that more accidents happen and while four out of five patients are local people, one fifth of the charity’s work is to help seriously sick and injured tourists. Last year, more than 20% of airlifted patients were tourists, yet less than 5% of donations to the charity came from the tourism sector.

Cornwall Air Ambulance Chief Executive, Paula Martin tells us: “The pressure on Cornwall Air Ambulance to deal with serious incidents has increased significantly this year. Meeting this additional cost, at the same time the charity is trying to save for a new generation air ambulance and urgently needs your support if they are to succeed.”

The lifesaving charity, which relies on donations to fly, predicts that the end of the year total will be around 800 helicopter missions, with a further 400 emergency responses carried out in the critical care cars. Subsequently, in order to help cover the costs of the extra missions, the charity is appealing for more support and is therefore launching a campaign to generate more donations through the tourism sector.   

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You can show your support by making an online donation via the Cornwall Air Ambulance website.