Life-saving air service facing £2m shortfall

Counting the cost of shop closure

THE county’s life-saving air ambulance service is facing a shortfall of more than £2 million in funding due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance, which is a charity, is set to miss out on £2.18 million due to the closure of its 57 shops throughout the county and region.

And it is being hit with a double blow of having to find £22,000 to ensure its shops can safely reopen when allowed to do so when lockdown is eased.

The charity is transforming its shops to ensure the safety of customers and staff.

In order to ensure the shops are able to operate safely, the charity is appealing to businesses and supporters within the community to help raise £22,000 required to make certain changes.

The charity is facing a bill of nearly £13,000 for hygiene screens around till points, more than £7,000 for hand sanitiser stations and fluids, as well as £1,000 for social distancing signage and measures.

Despite the impact, the air ambulance continues to provide vital frontline, critical care services and is attending missions 24/7 throughout this difficult period.

“The pandemic has had a significant impact on so many, including our own life-saving charity,” said charity deputy chief executive Emma Peake.

“Due to the closure of our shops, the suspension of our reuse kerbside collections and the postponement of our door-to-door lottery, the charity is facing a projected net loss of at least £2.18 million for the months April to June.”

These losses are further impacted by the cancellation of fund-raising events and supporter-led initiatives, as these have not been possible during the lockdown period.

“Our dedicated crews are continuing their potentially life-saving work through this difficult time and this vital support to the NHS relies solely on donations as the charity receives no government funding for its missions,” said Emma.

“We want to reopen our shops as soon as we are able but our priority is to ensure the safety of our customers and staff. The charity desperately needs the income stores provide and we desperately need the public’s help, more than ever before, to enable us to continue to support the NHS.”

Call 0300 3045 999 and donate to help keep them flying.