Local charity Magpas Air Ambulance has launched an exciting new fundraising campaign, offering supporters the unique opportunity to see their name take flight, on every mission.
The Your Name, Every Mission campaign takes off this month, giving supporters the chance to have their names displayed on the underbelly of the Magpas Air Ambulance helicopter, flying alongside the crew on every lifesaving mission.
The charity’s medical team, based in Alconbury Weald, responds to patients in life-threatening emergencies in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and across the East of England every day. Last year, Magpas Air Ambulance’s clinical team responded to 1,948 emergencies, making it the charity’s busiest year to date. With more members of the public needing their support than ever before, raising the funds needed to keep the service going is even more vital.
Sophie Short, from Ely, describes how the charity was truly life-changing for her, when she suffered a terrible road traffic incident just a few miles away from home…
Sophie describes, “My accident happened while I was driving less than a mile from my home near Ely. I had just popped out, leaving my husband at home with our baby. On a country road bend, my car skidded out of control, flipped onto its side and smashed into a tree. The roof crumpled and I was trapped inside, with the dashboard crushing my legs. My head struck the driver’s side window and smashed it, leaving my ears full of broken glass.
“I remember the sound of the car being cut open by fire and rescue so the Magpas Air Ambulance crew could reach me. It was utterly terrifying, but despite the fear and trauma, I still remember Sarah and Dan, the Magpas Air Ambulance doctor and paramedic. Their calm voices. Their hands holding mine.”
The advanced medical care the Magpas Air Ambulance crew provides on scene is the equivalent of what a patient can receive in a hospital emergency department. By delivering this critical care early, Magpas Air Ambulance saves lives and keeps families together 24/7.
Sophie continues, “With their extraordinary medical skills, Magpas Air Ambulance brought the hospital trauma unit to me that day and saved my life.
“It took over two hours to cut me out of the car, and then just 11 minutes for Magpas Air Ambulance to fly me to Addenbrooke’s Hospital. I later learnt that I had broken my spine, including my neck, in seven places, and that I might never walk unaided again.
“The specialist care Sarah and Dan gave me at the scene made all the difference. Not only can I walk today, but I’ve since walked down the aisle, seen my baby take his first steps, run the London Marathon, and welcomed a second child. They did not just save my life; they gave me a future.”
Owing so much to the charity that saved her life, Sophie is in full support of this new fundraising campaign; encouraging as many people as possible to donate and put their name, or the name of a loved one, on the helicopter, “as tomorrow, someone else in our community will need Magpas Air Ambulance.”
Just 2,000 people will get this unique opportunity to fly alongside the Magpas Air Ambulance crew on every lifesaving mission.
You can add your own name, a family name, dedicate a spot to someone special, or honour the memory of a loved one. However you choose to take part, with a gift to the Your Name, Every Mission appeal, your chosen name will be printed on the Magpas Air Ambulance helicopter and help the charity be there for more patients, like Sophie.
