Notts & Lincs: Schools urged to take part in competition to help build a helipad for the Air Ambulance at Queen’s Medical Centre

The initiative aims to engage primary and secondary schools in Notts and Lincolnshire with the charity’s Saving Lives Helipad Appeal, which is raising £3 million to build an onsite helipad at the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre at Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham.

The prize for the three schools that raise the most money will be a visit from the Lincolnshire & Notts Air Ambulance.

‘We’re targeting schools in Notts as that’s where the QMC is located, and schools in Lincolnshire because that’s where many of the air ambulance patients come from,” said Daniel Craggs, senior community fund-raiser at the Nottingham Hospitals Charity.

“We want to get the message out there that the new helipad at QMC will serve patients from across the East Midlands, and particularly rural areas such as parts of Lincolnshire.”

“The charity is equally keen to promote the educational benefits of the competition to participating schools.”

Daniel and a senior member of the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre team will visit each school to give a special talk in assembly about the work that the Major Trauma Centre does, the role of the air ambulance service and the difference an onsite helipad at QMC will make to severely injured patients.

“The first 60 minutes following a severe injury is known as the ‘golden hour’ and is critical to favourable clinical outcomes,” continued Daniel.

“At the moment, air ambulance patients have to complete their journey to QMC by road, which can take up to 20 minutes.”

“An on-site helipad will reduce this transfer time to less than five minutes.”

Like most hospital helipads, building the new helipad at QMC relies entirely on charitable donations, so the charity is asking each school that takes part in the competition to raise as much as they can for the Saving Lives Helipad Appeal.

“The three top fund-raising schools will be rewarded with a visit from the Lincolnshire & Notts Air Ambulance, giving children the chance to look inside the helicopter and ask the pilots and paramedics questions about their work.

“We’re looking for 20 schools to sign up for the competition and help us raise a significant amount for the appeal,” said Daniel.

“And we really want to make it fun for the children, so we’ll be providing lots of fund-raising tips and ideas during the assembly visits.”

“We’ll also be encouraging a bit of healthy rivalry between schools by recording their efforts on a league table that everyone taking part will be able to see.”

If your school would like to take part in the competition, contact Daniel Craggs on 0115 9249924 (ext 70246) or email [email protected].

To find out more about Nottingham Hospitals Charity and the Helipad Appeal, make a donation, or get involved in fund-raising, call 0115 9627905 or visit www.nottinghamhospitalscharity.org.uk.