The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Charity aiming to launch its second air ambulance
Bid to raise £6 million to provide another emergency helicopter
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance crew has announced an ambitious £6 million campaign for a second aircraft.
The Perth Airport-based SCAA, which was set up five years ago, is looking to the public and donors to raise the money needed to pay for the launch and three years of running costs.
The charity, the only one of its kind in Scotland, said the new helicopter will improve its response to time-critical medical emergencies, retrievals and urgent transfers throughout Scotland.
SCAA’s helicopter operates in partnership with the Scottish Ambulance Service and is scrambled by national ambulance control through the 999 system.
It works alongside two Scottish Government-funded helicopter air ambulances and two fixed-wing patient transfer aircraft.
SCAA chairman and founding trustee John Bullough said a second charityfunded helicopter would save and improve even more lives. He said: “Having responded to more than 1,700 emergency call outs, the charity has built a loyal and passionate following of donors, supporters and volunteers.
“SCAA is a model for partnership between the private, public and third sectors. The charity has raised over £10m since its launch which is a terrific achievement and a testament to the level of support and public engagement we have received nationally.
“SCAA has proved itself to be a fullyintegrated and indispensable part of our national emergency services.”
Health Secretary Shona Robison gave her backing to the campaign at its launch in Edinburgh.
“Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance carries out great work across Scotland, helping to save lives every day,” she said.
“A second SCAA helicopter will make a huge difference, particularly in the more rural and remote areas of Scotland.”
Pauline Howie, chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “We are delighted that plans for a new air ambulance are under way as it will undoubtedly help save even more lives.
“Due to the dedicated public support of SCAA, the charity has been able to undertake hundreds of missions, which is a fantastic achievement.”
While Scotland is the only country in the UK to have government-funded air resources, SCAA provides the country’s only charity-funded air ambulance.
In contrast, England, Wales and Northern Ireland operate 39 charity helicopter air ambulances.
Scotland’s mainland and its 100 inhabited islands make up more than one-third of the UK’s land mass.
SCAA will now talk to existing and potential donors to secure the £6m required to launch and operate a second helicopter for its first three years.
The charity will continue discussions on its plans with the Scottish Ambulance Service, to determine where a second helicopter would best be located to complement the existing helicopter air ambulances based at Perth, Glasgow and Inverness.
The service will become operational as soon as the fundraising target is met.
A second SCAA helicopter will make ahuge difference
Counting on public support to raise £6 million is a fairly ambitious ask.
But then, just a few short years ago, establishing a brand new charity determined to put an airborne ambulance in the skies above Scotland would have sounded fairly far-fetched.
There is no doubt that the team behind Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) has come a long way in a very short space of time.
The public have really bought in to the concept and, while there is no room for complacency, there will be a high degree of confidence that the newly-announced fundraising target will ultimately be met.
SCAA has quickly established itself as an indispensable resource, and extending the fleet is a natural progression for the charity.
Scotland may be one of the most beautiful places on earth but its wild, rugged and at times almost inaccessible landscape make such a service not so much a luxury as a necessity.
Pauline Howie, chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, is in no doubt about the value of the new venture asserting that lives will ultimately be saved.
That should be enough to provide plenty of motivation, not just for the big name backers but also for the thousands of ordinary Scots who may just one day find themselves benefiting from the vital services SCAA offer.