Air Ambulance volunteer highlights charity’s work to Rotarians

David, who only joined the charity 10 months ago, is one of about 170 volunteers, involved in many aspects of running the service and fund raising, and raising awareness.

On visiting Market Rasen Rotary Club, he thanked members who have donated approaching £40,000 over the years to the LNAS.

This historically has principally come from running competitive golf competitions each year, but due to the difficulty of enticing new sponsors, this year the donation of £2,228 came from cooking burgers at the Open Farm Sunday event at the Sutton Estates’ Stainton-Le-Vale farm.

The LNAS receives no government funding and needs £13million to operate each year, and as a second helicopter is scheduled to arrive in the summer of 2027 the funding will need to increase.

The current helicopter, the fifth owned by the charity, costs £4,000 per mission and flies on four or five missions a day. David said that when the service began the number of missions were governed by funds in the bank. In the early days, the method was ‘swoop and scoop’, taking the patient to A & E with little medical intervention, but now on arrival at the accident scene, the helicopter brings its own advanced A & E operating department to the patient with full anaesthesia, bloods, etc.

Now, it is a 24/7 operation, and the helicopter is supported by two high-speed cars, one in Mansfield Woodhouse and one at their Waddington HQ on the A15. The critical care cars are used particularly for city shouts and when weather conditions or location prevents safe helicopter operations.

When the East Midlands ambulance service calls on the LNAS, the helicopter can be in the air in five minutes. David commented that flights of the neighbouring Red Arrows must allow free passage to the helicopter on its way to a call. The helicopter can reach any location in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire’s 3,500 sq. miles in 20 minutes. There are reciprocal arrangements for support from other adjacent air ambulances.

David said in 2024, the helicopter flew 1,724 missions (643 medical emergencies, 435 traffic collisions, 139 assaults, 264 accidents, (home and workplace), 48 sports and leisure and 195 miscellaneous call outs).

Sometimes the helicopter will not get a chance to return to base, with the controllers bouncing the helicopter direct to its next call. This happened six times in one day in 2024.

David explained that doctors flying with the air ambulance travel from their home consultancies in hospitals from across the British Isles but also one from the Middle East (Dubai). Each consultant doctor can volunteer for as many days work a month as they are able and are paid according to the days worked. Paramedics working on the Air Ambulance are employees of the LNAS. The pilots are part of the leasing package of the helicopter from the manufacturer.

Should anyone wish to support the LNAS, then there is a weekly lottery; a lot of funding comes from bequests in wills, and there are charity shops in Wragby and Mansfield Woodhouse (Notts). A magazine called Sky Shout, is very informative.

David Carrick thanked Rotary in Market Rasen for their donation. Rotarian John Moore thanked David and confirmed the club shall continue to support the LNAS in the future.