Phoenix Group, Europe’s largest life and pensions consolidator, is donating £50,000 to long-term charity partner London’s Air Ambulance Charity as part of a UK-wide package of community support in response to COVID 19. Phoenix, which has offices in London, began a six-year partnership with London’s Air Ambulance Charity in 2014. The partnership was due to end this Spring, but given the importance of the role that the service is providing in the face of COVID 19, Phoenix is now extending this to the end of 2020.
London’s Air Ambulance Charity delivers an advanced trauma team to critically injured people in London, performing innovative and potentially life-saving procedures on-scene that are usually found in the emergency department. The service is currently working closely with partners at the London Ambulance Service and Barts Health NHS Trust to offer assistance with the COVID 19 response, including assisting with patient transfers to the Nightingale Hospital.
London’s Air Ambulance also operates the Physician Response Unit (PRU), a community care service that attends to people in their own home. The PRU is working to relieve some of the severe pressure on the NHS due to COVID 19 and help vulnerable patients avoid a trip to hospital.
Phoenix’s donation will assist with operational funding of the service, which last year attended to 1730 patients whose lives were on the line. Primarily funded by donations and with all upcoming events cancelled due to the pandemic, London’s Air Ambulance Charity is constantly looking at virtual fundraising activities to save lives.
Andy Briggs, CEO, Phoenix Group comments, “It is vital we recognise the life-saving efforts of the London’s Air Ambulance Charity and the unprecedented demands for their service at this time. They need more funds to survive and help others. As our long-term charity partner, it is our duty to donate and this small measure is part of our wider commitment to support communities across the UK battling the effects of COVID 19.
“At this time of economic and social uncertainty all charities are vulnerable and we urge financially able businesses to join us in providing Air Ambulance charities with a vital lifeline.”
Jonathan Jenkins, CEO, London’s Air Ambulance Charity adds, “The Phoenix Group partnership is hugely appreciated by all of us at London’s Air Ambulance Charity and we are delighted that they will be extending their support through to the end of the year. Not only has Phoenix been with us through crucial stages of our development, but their employees regularly go the extra mile to support us taking on challenge events including abseiling and sky diving.
“We are also immensely grateful for Phoenix’s £50,000 donation recognising the impact Covid-19 is having on our service. Trauma does not stop during a pandemic and these funds will help us continue to be there for London during these challenging times.”
Earlier this month Phoenix Group announced it would be donating a total of £1m to support the important work of charities, giving £500,000 of this to charitable organisations working in the communities where the Phoenix Group has regional premises. This includes three other local air ambulance charities in the UK. In recognition of the pandemic’s wide impact, charities providing services to support those who are more vulnerable, including older people, the homeless and vulnerably-housed, are amongst those receiving funds in the UK, Ireland, Germany and Austria.
Phoenix has also donated £500,000 to Age UK’s Emergency Coronavirus Appeal, which will help older people who desperately need support during this unprecedented health emergency.
