AAA responds to UK Chancellor’s fund allocation
The UK Association of Air Ambulances (AAA) has responded to the recent announcement from Chancellor Phillip Hammond that £10 million of capital funding is being allocated to support air ambulance charity’s in the UK.
The UK Association of Air Ambulances (AAA) has responded to the recent announcement from Chancellor Philip Hammond that £10 million of capital funding is being allocated to support air ambulance charity’s in the UK.
“We are extremely grateful that members of Parliament are obviously listening and acknowledging the life-saving work of air ambulances across the country,” said Paula Martin, Chair of the AAA. “The Chancellors announcement came as a total surprise to us all and means that many of our membership will be able to apply to access some of the funds available.”
The UK air ambulance sector, which comprises 21 air ambulance charities, has been working to develop strong relationships with local MPs, the AAA said, and many are now members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Air Ambulances – a group that aims to highlight key issues for the air ambulance industry.
“Across the length and breadth of England, our air ambulance services work tirelessly 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to get those with life-threatening illnesses and injuries to the expert medical care they need,” the Chancellor stated. “They do a fantastic job and today I am making £10 million of funding to help them go on doing so.”
Martin was keen to stress that though the funding was good news, ‘this funding only represents a small amount of what has to be raised’, and that the continued support from the UK public is still key to air ambulance charities ability to continue operations. “[The public’s] kind and generous donations ensure that air ambulances across the UK are not only able to continue their life-saving work, but further develop and enhance their services for the benefit of the patients they serve,” she added.