Hardworking volunteers who help the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance were visited by Rugby and Bulkington MP Mark Pawsey during Volunteers Week 2016, which took place between 1st and 12th June 2016.
The Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance Service is supported by 800 volunteers, alongside donations from the wider community. 25 of these volunteers are based in their flagship Rugby town store on the High Street.
Mark took the opportunity to visit the Rugby store and speak to the volunteers about their work and how it supports the Air Ambulance during Volunteers Week 2016. This week is a chance for the wider community to celebrate the important, but often hidden, work which volunteers do.
Mark commented:
“The Air Ambulance is a fantastic local service which is often the difference between life and death for patients around Rugby and Warwickshire. I was delighted to learn during my visit that the Air Ambulance Service, which includes the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance and their sister service Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance, has now completed 25,000 missions. This has only been possible thanks to the dedication of volunteers like those I met at the Rugby Air Ambulance shop.”
Mark continued:
“For the Air Ambulance, the importance of their volunteers cannot be overstated. Each mission the Air Ambulance flies costs £1,700 and it is thanks to of the donations and support of our local community that the Air Ambulance can continue to save lives.”
Mark concluded:
“Volunteers are at the heart of our community. It is vital that we recognise the work which they do, both for charities, or simply to support friends and family during difficult times. Volunteering also provides the opportunity to give something back to the local area and I hope that as a result of Volunteers Week 2016, more Rugby residents will come forward to volunteer in any way they can.”
Catherine Burchnall, Director of Fundraising for the Air Ambulance, added:
“Our Rugby shop was delighted to welcome MP Mark Pawsey during Volunteers’ Week. The staff and volunteers enjoyed spending time with Mark and talking with him about the vital work of our service.”