£1m grant will help pay for new air ambulance
A new lifesaving helicopter will one day be flying over Kent skies, thanks to a £1m grant.
The money comes from the LIBOR fund, a government scheme to support military and emergency services and was announced in the autumn budget statement.
The new machine will replace one of the pair flown by the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Trust.
Adrian Bell, the charity’s chief executive, said: “This will be hugely significant in increasing our capability, and the service we give to our patients.”
“I would like to thank all of those MPs across the counties who so kindly supported our application to LIBOR.”
The charity’s two helicopters are both MD902 Explorers.
In 2014, it received a £1.5m grant from the same fund, which bought a new aircraft, an AW169, which will shortly be coming into service replacing one of the Explorer models.
The AW169 is bigger and has better accessibility than the existing model.
Mr Bell said: “It means our medics will be able to work on patients inside the aircraft. It also has a much larger fuel capacity and a greater lift, meaning we can effectively carry four more people.
“It is faster and will have the capacity for mechanical flying, rather than just visual, meaning we will ultimately be able to fly in conditions where we are grounded at present.
“Altogether we will be able to provide a much more effective service.”
The latest cash announcement will enable the charity to begin the process of replacing the remaining Explorer chopper with a second AW169.
Each aircraft costs in the region of £6.4m. The hospital service is looking to enter into a shared ownership purchase in partnership with Specialist Aviation Services to replace the other helicopter. The air ambulance service additionally costs around £6.5m a year to run, mainly raised through donations.
Earlier this year, the trust abandoned ambitious plans to set up a new base in Paddock Wood, to bring operations from its Marden and Redhill bases under one roof. The charity decided to expand at Redhill Aerodrome.