The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Life-saving dream that took flight
When Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance launched on May 22 2013 it was the brainchild of a group of dedicated Perthshire businessmen and women.
They wanted to make a major difference to emergency care in Scotland, improving response times to troublesome rural and island areas in particular.
At launch they were using a temporary aircraft and knew they needed to raise a minimum of £1.5 million a year to stay in the air.
The team had, however, scoured the country for some of the finest pilots and emergency medicine practitioners available, including highly respected Scottish Ambulance paramedic John Pritchard MBE.
Within three months, the team had been called to more than 100 incidents across Scotland, supplementing the efforts of the Scottish Ambulance Service’s own helicopters.
Then chief executive Gavin Davey was moved to say he believed a Scotland without the charity air ambulance had already become “unthinkable”.
Hundreds more call-outs have followed, with the rapid response Scaa helicopter heading to time-critical crises ranging from major trauma injuries at road crashes and sporting accidents to cardiac and stroke emergencies in hard-to-reach rural areas.
As the distinctive yellow, green and blue helicopter became a familiar sight in the skies, the cause was taken to the hearts of the Scottish public and fundraising soon allowed the charity to invest in a new and improved helicopter.
Fundraising has remained strong and the charity has even launched its own lottery to supplement its resources.
It has also benefited from the backing of corporate partners, including SSE, Stagecoach and the Clydesdale Bank.
Chairman and founding trustee John Bullough was one of those who helped to get the charity of the ground.
He said the award win was “sensational”.
“This is a testament to the skill and commitment of the Scaa aircrew, who regularly deploy to save and improve lives when we need them most,” Mr Bullough said.