Gigha’s emergency helipad officially opens

The new emergency helipad on Scotland’s Isle of Gigha has been officially opened by the HELP Appeal charity and39 Engineer Regiment from the Corps of Royal Engineers, which collaborated for the first time to build it this year.

The new helipad ensures that specialist hospital treatment at an A&E hospital or Major Trauma Centre on the mainland can be accessed within the ‘golden hour’ and thus improve patients’ outcomes.

Speeches were made by Simon Jones from the HELP Appeal, which donated £245,000 to cover the entire cost of the materials and lighting; Staff Sergeant Curtis Noble from 39 Engineer Regiment, who coordinated the helipad’s construction in conjunction with local contractors; and Jane Millar from the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust. Several people were in attendance, including local contractors, HM Coastguard, the ambulance service and community nurses.

Jones said: “On behalf of the HELP Appeal, we are incredibly proud to have worked alongside the Royal Engineers to make this emergency helipad a reality on Gigha island. This marks the first of multiple collaborations together building helipads across the country.”

Noble reflected: “Constructing this emergency helipad on Gigha has been a remarkable team effort. Despite a challenging three-week schedule, which was further tightened by bad weather conditions, me and 16 members of 39 Engineer Regiment worked closely with local contractors to complete the concreting phase of the project back in March, before returning to Kinloss Barracks.”

Earlier this year, the HELP Appeal donated to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance’s Operation Airbase appeal.