Air ambulance charity hits £1million fundraising mark

Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) has passed the £1million fundraising mark through its Coronavirus Emergency Appeal.
Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) has passed the ?1million fundraising mark through its Coronavirus Emergency Appeal. SUS-200630-104324001Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) has passed the ?1million fundraising mark through its Coronavirus Emergency Appeal. SUS-200630-104324001
Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) has passed the ?1million fundraising mark through its Coronavirus Emergency Appeal. SUS-200630-104324001

This is just over a third of the total shortfall the charity was predicting due to the cancellation of major events and a decrease in fundraising income.

The life-saving charity launched the appeal in April to cover the additional costs of operating its pre-hospital emergency response service safely during the pandemic.

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It costs KSS £14million a year to deliver its emergency service in which specialist doctors and paramedics provide critical treatment to patients at the scene of an incident.

In total, 89 per cent of this is raised through the generosity of the people of Kent, Surrey and Sussex and those who volunteer and fundraise for them.

During this unprecedented year, the charity had to launch an Emergency Appeal for the first time in its 30-year history.

David Welch, chief executive, said: “We simply cannot thank people enough for the support we have received so far. When we launched our appeal, we aimed to raise £535,000 initially to meet the immediate additional costs of continuing our life-saving service during the pandemic and we have received an amazing response.

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“It is truly humbling how generous people can be. We’ve received help from a wide range of sources and in a variety of forms – from financial donations from our supporters and the communities we serve, through to PPE from local businesses, the loan of four vehicles from Jaguar Land Rover and a large supply of oil and AdBlue for our response vehicles from Moove.

“Every single donation, every single gift has helped, and we are so thankful to everyone who has responded so far.

“Yet despite this, and the contribution from Government, with the continued impact of the pandemic, we still face a significant shortfall of £1.9m.

“Last year, we were called out to help over 2,500 people in life-threatening situations across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. We have an outstanding, highly skilled medical team and we are determined to continue to deliver the best possible outcomes for our patients and to continue to run our charity efficiently and responsibly.

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“To secure our future, we urgently need your continued support – there are so many ways you can join those in the community who have already supported and got involved. Let’s work together to continue to save lives during this difficult and unprecedented time”.