Air Ambulance Week takes off across the UK in September

Air Ambulance Week takes off across the UK on 9th September 2024, with air ambulance charities delivering the powerful message ‘Today’s Supporter, Tomorrow’s Lifesaver’. This theme highlights the critical role of community support in sustaining the life-saving operations of air ambulance charities. It’s a poignant reminder that anyone, anywhere in the UK, could become a patient at any time. By becoming a supporter today, you could help save lives tomorrow.

Air Ambulance Week is the only week in the year dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the vital, life-saving work of air ambulance charities across the UK. This event is organised by Air Ambulances UK, the national charity supporting the UK’s 21 air ambulance charities, enabling them to save even more lives every day.

Throughout the week, the air ambulance community will be celebrating the incredible stories of those whose lives have been impacted by the dedicated teams of critical care clinicians who bring hospital-level care directly to the scene of an emergency. Every act of support today becomes a beacon of hope for tomorrow, increasing the chances of survival and improving patient outcomes.

Air ambulance charities collectively undertake over 45,000 life-saving missions each year across the UK, with 37 air ambulance helicopters operated by these charities providing crucial pre-hospital care and support to the NHS. These air ambulance services form a vital part of the UK’s frontline emergency response.

On average, air ambulances can reach someone in urgent need within just 16 minutes. Across the UK, air ambulance charities are collectively dispatched to over 126 life-saving missions each day.

However, with each mission costing an average of £4,110, and with no day-to-day government funding, air ambulance charities rely almost entirely on charitable donations to continue their work.

This is why your support is crucial and why Air Ambulances UK is calling on people across the UK to support their local air ambulance to ensure that these charities can continue to save lives every day.

What to expect during Air Ambulance Week 2024

This year, there’s plenty to get involved with throughout Air Ambulance Week.

Lighting Up the UK: On Monday 9th September from 7pm, air ambulance charities across the UK will light up local monuments to celebrate #AirAmbulanceWeek and reinforce the message: “Today’s Supporter, Tomorrow’s Lifesaver.” Keep an eye out for buildings and landmarks in your area being illuminated and share your photos on social media if you spot them!

Coffee Mornings with a Twist: Some air ambulance charities will be hosting coffee mornings where you can enjoy a sweet treat, a cuppa, and learn a life-saving skill at the same time. These events will offer you the opportunity to learn CPR and how to use a defibrillator – skills that might just save a life.

The week long campaign is dedicated to raising awareness and vital funds for the life-saving work of air ambulance charities across the UK. To get involved and to find out more please visit Air Ambulances UK or search for your local air ambulance charity.

The industry will once again be gathering at the NEC, Birmingham for The Emergency Services Show 2024, co located with The Emergency Tech Show on 18-19 September, check out the full exhibitor list here. You can find Air Ambulances UK in Hall 5, stand Q220.