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NORTH West Air Ambulance Service is getting its campaign to launch a second helicopter off to a ‘flying’ start at this year’s Cheshire County Show. The life-saving service has committed to a second helicopter to cover Cheshire and South Manchester, but now needs to raise £3.3million a year to keep the two aircrafts airborne for one year. As the Air Ambulance offers a life-line to rural and agricultural areas it has chosen the Cheshire County Show on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 17 and 18, as the first event to launch its campaign for funding to support its second helicopter. Currently there is one Air Ambulance helicopter, based at Blackpool Airport, serving 7.5 million people across a 5,500 square mile area of Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cumbria. 
Community Fundraiser for North West Air Ambulance Emily Taylor said: “It is hoped that visitors to this years Cheshire Show will lend their support to the service, which is a registered charity and receives no mainstream funding, relying solely on donations from the public to stay up and running. “Each year we are called out to a range of emergencies in rural areas of Cheshire, including farming, horse riding and walking accidents, sporting injuries and road traffic incidents so hopefully everyone will be really supportive of our campaign to launch a new air ambulance that will benefit the people of Cheshire.” It is hoped that enough funding will have been raised to have a second helicopter operational by August of this year. The Cheshire County Show will take place at the Tabley Showground near Knutsford. |
