The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) has been activated six times to incidents in the Isle of Man since a new contract was agreed between Manx Care and the charity.
Currently GNAAS’ critical care service will continue on the Island until the end of the financial year, with Manx Care funding the service based on a per-mission costing and the charity committing to strengthening its fundraising activities on the Island.
It is estimated that the charity needs to raise at least £124,000 per year to cover additional costs, specific to operating in the Isle of Man, such as safety equipment and crew training required for travelling over water.
Thanks to the community’s support, monthly donations are currently averaging £5,000; however, this is only half of what the charity needs to sustain its service in the Isle of Man.
They’ve recently recruited a fundraiser based on the Isle who will be starting within the month to help achieve the necessary funding target as a minimum. GNAAS have pledged to use any funding over and above their minimum target to reduce the Manx Care mission tasking costs.
The fundraiser will work closely with volunteers and supporters across the Island to significantly increase awareness and donation income, ensuring that critical care remains available to those who need it most.
In the last four months, the charity’s critical care team has responded to three road traffic collisions, two assaults, and one cardiac arrest, providing advanced treatment on scene before airlifting patients to specialised hospitals in the UK.
The air ambulance charity has responded more than 65 times to incidents on the Island since the service was commissioned in March 2022 by Manx Care, supported by the Isle of Man Cabinet Office’s Transformation Programme.
During this period, colleagues from GNAAS have been working hard to increase their presence on the Isle of Man and raise enough funds to continue offering their service to residents and tourists on the Island.
At the end of July, GNAAS’ interim CEO Joe Garcia, paramedic Andy Dalton, and CSR and philanthropy specialist Natasha Banks will visit the Isle of Man to support the growth of their engagement and fundraising activities.
Mr Garcia said: “We’re looking forward to meeting the Manx community this month and spreading the word of the vital work we do.
“We’ve seen some fantastic fundraising carried out recently on the Island, including those who participated in the Parish Walk and a very generous donation of £30,000 from the Peel charity shop, which is greatly appreciated.
“We are very proud to be able to provide our pre-hospital service to the Island and make a positive difference in people’s lives.”
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