Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance fly in to thank Bilsthorpe Flying High Academy

Pupils from Bilsthorpe Flying High Academy were treated to a special visit earlier in the week when Paramedic Vanessa Thomas of Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance visited the school to say a big thank you for their fundraising efforts undertaken last year.

Over 200 children packed the school hall to learn all about how the air ambulance and the great work of the doctors, paramedics and pilots in responding to life-threatening incidents and saving lives in Nottinghamshire.  Vanessa showed the excited pupils the equipment that is carried in the iconic yellow helicopter including the ventilator and the CPR machine that takes over heart compressions to people who have had sudden cardiac arrest.  She even challenged them to try and pick up the red bag which carries everything needed to stop a patient bleeding.  Weighing around twenty kilos, this was quite a task for some children! Next, she demonstrated how to take blood pressure on Connor, a willing year 6 student who was mightily relieved to know that his was normal!

The visit was arranged for members of the LNAA team to thank the school for raising an amazing £127 from the charity’s ‘Hello Yellow Day’ held last September in which pupils across all schools in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire were invited to pay to dress in an item of yellow clothing. 

Vanessa said “It was lovely to meet the children and explain how their individual donations of £1 all add up to help keep the helicopter flying over the skies of Nottinghamshire and attending the most serious of accidents and saving lives.  It was good to be able to explain that the money the school raised is enough to pay for 1 unit of blood which would contribute to a patient’s treatment. Each unit of blood costs around £100 and we carry between 4-8 units on each platform per shift.

We receive no direct funding from Government and yet we are called out to attend the most serious life-threatening incidents in the counties of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.  It costs around £8 million per year to keep our helicopter and critical care cars operational 24/7, seven days a week and it is the generosity of communities and schools like Bilsthorpe Flying High Academy that make this happen.”

Trish Butt of Bilsthorpe Flying High Academy gave a vote of thanks at the end of the visit and summed up by adding: “What a phenomenal experience for the children of Bilsthorpe Flying High Academy. They were amazed to see what equipment is needed to save lives and limbs and were equally surprised when they found out the cost of keeping the air ambulance operational.  The children are now aware of the importance and significance of ‘Hello Yellow Day’. We can’t thank you enough for the visit and all the hard work that LNAA do to help seriously injured people.”

We are looking forward to supporting LNAA again this year on ‘Hello Yellow Day’.   

ABOUT LNAA

LNAA is one of the UK’s leading Helicopter Emergency Service (HEMS) charities, bringing the equivalent of a hospital emergency department to patients at the scene, giving those with the most severe injuries and medical conditions the very best chance of survival when minutes matter.

LNAA crews are on call 24 hours of the day, 365 days of the year. The highly skilled doctors, paramedics and pilots help people across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, involved in life-threatening incidents every single day. 

LNAA receives no regular direct funding from the Government. It needs to raise £8 million this year to deliver its life-saving service every hour of the day. It is thanks to thegenerosity and goodwill of supporters throughout the area that they can provide such a critical care service.

For more details on how to support this vital work, visit www.ambucopter.org.uk