Cash peril of life-savers

Jun 7 2005 By Helen Logan Evening Gazette

The business of running a vital life-saving service is a costly one.

The Great North Air Ambulance Service has had to ground two of its three helicopters as money has dried up.

Donations slumped after the tsunami disaster and Cumbrian floods and the service was forced to ground the Blyth and Lake District helicopters, leaving only the Durham Tees Valley air ambulance flying.

The figures speak for themselves, proving what a valuable service GNAAS provides.

During the last full year its helicopters flew 1,436 missions and the medical trauma teams on board saved many lives.

To keep all three aircraft flying it needs £300,000 a month.

And that huge amount has to be funded entirely from public contributions as it gets no government or lottery aid.

The charity has previously benefited from two main sponsors - J-Barbour and Sons provided a large sum, which in addition to public donations helped buy the first helicopter.

The second sponsor from 1999 to March 2002 was the AA. But currently GNAAS is without a major sponsor.

I have been giving £5 a month to the charity for quite some time as I believe it is crucial that the region continues to have such emergency medical cover.

I am appalled that it does not get some sort of official support.

To my mind it is just the sort of thing which lottery cash ought to be ploughed into.