We owe much to the emergency air medical services, who work tirelessly to ensure the safety of communities the world over. So, let us put our hands together this week and celebrate with the Linc & Notts Air Ambulance team.

The crew airlifted their very first patient on 13 May 1994 and have since gone on to complete over 20,000 missions – providing high-quality helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) to the community for the 25 years that they’ve been in service.

The charity held a special celebratory event at the Fire and Rescue Training Ground in Waddington, during which crewmembers met patients that the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance charity had helped in some way over the years.

Roger Linnell, paramedic for the charity, said: “There really is nothing more satisfying than having the opportunity to make such a positive impact on so many people’s lives, on what is typically the worst day they will ever experience. Having met many of the patients we have tended to, it’s so humbling to hear how they’ve overcome their ordeals and now want to give something back to help support our charity.”

The charity is now looking to extend is services even further, working towards providing 24/7 operations, which Dr Susan Dashey, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, said would enable more people across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire to receive help from the critical care team.

“While difficult to celebrate the fact that 20,000 people have needed our care, it is incredible that through the support of the community, we have been able to fund so many missions,” added the charity’s CEO Karen Jobling. “We are truly humbled to have helped so many patients over the last 25 years, and we look forward to providing the very best pre-hospital care to the people of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire for many years to come.”