Air Ambulance Week (AAW) 2021 takes place from 6th September to 10th September this year and it's a fantastic opportunity to give your local Air Ambulance a national united voice, to promote the hard work that goes on not only during that week, but throughout the year. Every day, Cornwall Air Ambulance receives fantastic support from individuals, businesses and Cornwall’s communities.

When it comes to saving lives, every minute matters. The Cornwall Air Ambulance helicopter is on scene on average in 12 minutes in mainland Cornwall and around 30 to the Isles of Scilly. The aircrew provide pre-hospital critical care at the scene of the incident.

Will you help save future lives?

This year, the lifesaving charity are emphasising the importance of legacy gifts to ensure the future of the service, these being gifts kindly left in Wills. You’ll be surprised to learn that gifts in Wills make up one third of the money raised by the charity each year and it is a vital source of income to keep the helicopter flying. With the crew attending upwards of 1,000 critical incidents annually, that means that gifts left in Wills account for over 350 missions and potential lives saved.

Leaving a gift to Cornwall Air Ambulance could be part of your legacy and will help save lives in this generation and the next.

“I know the air ambulance meant a lot to my mum. She was aware of what the service does.”

Falmouth Packet:

In 2020, Ann Oliver lost her beloved mother Betty Titcombe, with whom she had lived with the previous nine years. Betty was a keen supporter of Cornwall Air Ambulance, spotting the helicopter fly over on missions and even kept watch for the crew landing at Treliske, where she spent some time in hospital.

Throughout her life Betty, alongside her husband of 67 years Dennis, worked in hotels, Conservative clubs and an ambulance station in Wiltshire. It was in this last role they learned about the work of air ambulances.

Mrs Oliver said: “Mum was quite taken with the helicopter; she saw it fly over and kept an eye on it landing. Although she never needed it, she was aware of what the service does. She was always interested in the charity and read the Airtime newsletters. She loved Cornwall more than anywhere.”

Betty passed away on 28 December 2020, aged 95. She showed her devotion to Cornwall Air Ambulance one final time by leaving the charity a gift in her Will. Her kindness ensures the charity’s critical care paramedics can reach people in their greatest moment of need in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Falmouth Packet:

Will writing made easy

Writing a Will or making changes to your Will might seem like a daunting task. But one new online service is making this challenge a thing of the past.

Remember a Charity is an online Will writing and advice service, that not only answers important questions about leaving a gift, but also provides access to free online services that take the hassle out of traditional Will writing. Cornwall Air Ambulance works in partnership with Remember a Charity and you can find out more information about this here: https://www.rememberacharity.org.uk/find-a-charity/cornwall-air-ambulance-trust/   

For an informal conversation about leaving a gift in your Will and to learn more about the difference it can make, call 01637 889926 or email fundraising@cornwallairambulancetrust.org