Fundraisers working on behalf of Air Ambulance Kent, Surrey and Sussex were invited to attend a training day at their Redhill Airbase this week. The day, which is an annual event, saw fundraisers given a tour of the base and their new state-of-the-art Augusta Westland 169 helicopter, as well as being told of updates about the charity and how the money they help generate is spent.
AAKSS are one of the few air ambulance charities that operate 24 hours a day, and as a result they need to raise £14m a year or £38,740 a day to cover the costs of operating the service. The charity operates two Augusta Westland 169 helicopters from their base at Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey and Rochester Airport in Surrey and they cover an area of 7390 km2 over three counties. This allows them to reach anywhere in the region within 25 minutes and they have treated over 30,000 patients.
Tower Lotteries have worked with Air Ambulance Kent, Surrey and Sussex for approaching 10 years now, and it was extremely pleasing when all our fundraisers were told that income from their weekly draw now accounts for 54% of income. AAKSS have one of the largest local society lotteries in the country, which generates vast amounts of money, all of which is used to provide a service to attend to people in their hour of need.
