Pupils in a whirl with ambucopter visit

School pupils received a behind-the-scenes look at how a vital helicopter saves lives every day.
St Hugh school children at the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance HQ.St Hugh school children at the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance HQ.
St Hugh school children at the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance HQ.

Year six pupils from St Hugh’s School in Woodhall Spa paid a visit to the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) headquarters last week, to learn more about its vital life-saving service.

The pupils were given a tour of the helicopter and its new base opposite RAF Waddington, where they were welcomed by LNAA chief executive, Karen Jobling, who said:

“It’s wonderful to welcome our young fundraisers to LNAA to say thank you and show them all the great work our crews do.

"We know that speaking to the doctors, paramedics and pilots can be really inspiring and if we’ve been able to give that to some of the children who visited - maybe next time we see them it’ll be as doctors, paramedics and pilots!”

The children were given a tour of the hangar to see the rapid response cars the paramedics use for emergency calls that are close by, as well as the Operations Room, where the pilots, doctors and paramedics wait for the klaxon to go off signalling a shout.

Then they got to see the equipment the doctor-paramedic crew take with them on every call-out, as well as taking part in an interactive lesson on how to perform CPR on someone who has gone into cardiac arrest.

One pupil said, “I like how the video really showed you how it happened and what to do.”

Class teacher, Bernie Costello said: “Pupils from the school have recently raised money for the LNAA from donations at our Jubilee Celebrations. It is wonderful to be able to visit and learn how the money we raised will be used.”

The pupils were then shown inside the bright yellow helicopter and asked pilots Ben Richardson and Roger Griffiths questions about what it is like to fly and how fast the helicopter goes – many pupils have since stated that they wanted to be paramedics and pilots when they grow up.

Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance receives no regular direct funding from the Government and relies on the generosity and goodwill of supporters through donations and fundraising.

For more details on how to support the air ambulance, visit www.ambucopter.org.uk