Car park used as heli landing pad

Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) was scrambled to a medical emergency at Tyndrum at the weekend, landing in the car park of the Green Welly Stop in order to reach the patient as quickly as possible.

Paramedics worked with Scottish Ambulance Service land crew colleagues before airlifting the patient to advanced care at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow.

A rider was badly injured when she came off her horse at speed at a riding centre in Fife on Tuesday.

SCAA was called to the scene and was able to land close to the injured rider, where paramedics worked with Scottish Ambulance Service land crew colleagues to treat her.

The woman, suffering back injuries, was then airlifted to Ninewells Hospital at Dundee for further treatment.

Closer to home, a road traffic accident at Kirkmichael saw the charity air ambulance help an injured driver at the scene.

The man was injured when his vehicle left the road and crashed down an embankment into a wooded area. After treatment at the scene, he was taken by road ambulance to Ninewells Hospital, freeing SCAA up for other emergencies.

Another weekend mission took the helicopter crew to Rothesay where a patient required an urgent transfer to mainland hospital care.

SCAA flew the patient quickly and comfortably to the Royal Alexandra Hospital at Paisley in under 15 minutes, saving a ferry and road journey that could have taken hours.

SCAA is thrilled to have lifted the Best Partner Relationship Award at the Institute of Fundraising Scotland annual awards this week.

The award is in recognition of SCAA’s year-long support partnership with Edinburgh International Airport which included staff engagement, fundraising, customer awareness of SCAA, customer interaction and on-site collections.

Customers at Sainsbury’s Local in Blairgowrie donated £229.74 when a SCAA volunteers staged a charity stand in the store recently.

Meanwhile, stalwart SCAA supporter Meg Farron held a raffle in Pitlochry Co-op recently and raised £1707 for the air ambulance.

And a bucket collection in the store added a further £751 to the Pitlochry Co-op’s support.

A Perth couple celebrating their golden wedding anniversary kindly chose to ask for donations to SCAA at their party in the St Johnstone Club and raised £425.

Visitors on a special tour of the Morris Leslie vintage vehicle collection were invited to make a donation to SCAA - and £245.55 was raised.

Thanks also to the Perth woman who donated £20 to SCAA this week and the Kinross woman who donated £50 to mark her mother’s birthday.

Locally placed SCAA collecting cans being emptied and counted this week include: Perth Ex-Servicemen’s Club £20.86; The Green Welly Stop, Tyndrum £116.12; Michell Newsagents, Blairgowrie £31.89 and John Gilmour Newsagents, Cupar £44.69.

Have you been helped by SCAA?

If the charity flew to the aid of you or a loved one, we would love to hear from you.

Patients who are willing to share their story and experiences help SCAA to publicise and promote their life-saving service.

No one tells of the impact Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance is making better than the people whose lives have been touched by the fastresponse emergency service.

Share your story by contacting media@scaa. org.uk