Lincs: Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance to receive £250,000 to help improve its services

Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance Charitable Trust is one of several air ambulance charities in the UK set to benefit from a £5m fund from Libor fines.
Lincs and Notts Air AmbulanceLincs and Notts Air Ambulance
Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance

The charity is to receive £250,000 from the fund, which will contribute to a capital project to improve the charity aircrew facilities at RAF-Waddington, which no longer fully meet current requirements.

The project is to erect a new modular building, to full CQC requirements, adjacent to our existing hangar, thereby also improving operational response times.

Chief Executive, Peter Aldrick, said: “This most generous donation from the Libor funds will enable our charity to construct the new facility without having to make a major contribution from existing donations, which we can now use towards the costs of our emergency helicopter service.”

The funding was confirmed on 24th February 2015 at a meeting between UK Chancellor George Osborne and the national Association of Air Ambulances, whose charity will distribute the money among the 20 local air ambulance charities set to benefit.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, said: “From enabling the fantastic Air Ambulance services to extend their flying hours, to helping build brand new specialist headquarters, this funding will play a vital role on helping to save hundreds of lives every year.” 

“It is absolutely right that we use funds from those who demonstrated the worst values to reward those who demonstrate the best, like our hardworking air ambulance crews.”

Clive Dickin, AAA National Director, said: “The entire Air Ambulance community is delighted with this announcement by the Chancellor.”

“This funding, the result of extensive lobbying by the AAA, is excellent news for air ambulance charities and patients across the UK.”

“Each of the 20 charities will use the funds in ways that will increase availability, types of activity, and overall patient care at a local level and this donation will ultimately help air ambulances across the UK to save many lives.”

This announcement follows extensive lobbying by the Association of Air Ambulances and is in addition to the Libor funds already announced for three air ambulance charities.

It also follows the announcement of relief of VAT on air ambulance charities and aviation fuel which was announced last year.

Combined the changes will be worth over £15m over the next five years.

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