London's Air Ambulance Blog (HEMS)

Sporting Events 2007

The staff and crew of London's Air Ambulance invite you to join us at two sporting fundraising events this autumn.

The thrill seekers among you will enjoy taking part in our Pro-Kart Endurance Race on Wednesday 26th September 2007. As a team of 4 to 8 members you can race around the Outdoor International Circuit at Buckmore Park in Kent. Racing professional karts reaching speeds of up to 70mph all drivers will be fully briefed and provided with racing gear before driving a practice lap and honing your skills in the hopes of winning a trophy.

London's Air Ambulance Charity Golf Challenge on Monday 1st October 2007 will be hosted by the legendary Ed Srewart at the beautiful Foxhils Club and Resort, Surrey. Enter a four ball for the chance to win amazing on course prizes including an Alfa Romeo Spider, Nike Sling Shot OSS Irons and golfing weekends in Portugal and at The Belfry. Tickets include 18 holes of competitive golf, refreshments, a Champagne Reception, full 3 course dinner, after dinner entertainment, trophies for winning teams, and the opportunity to bid on some stunning items in our Charity Auction.

For further information on either of these events or to book a place for your team, please contact our Fundraising Office, visit our website or download the booking forms below:

Download go_karting_flyer_september_2007.pdf 

Download gokarting_booking_info_september_2007.pdf 

Download laa_golf_poster_new_october1st.pdf 

Download laa_booking_form_new_october1st 

World Walker

July 2007 Press Release

London's Air Ambulance this week launched a new appeal for funds. The full press release can be downloaded here

Download hems_launch_new_appeal.doc

Despite some recent press reports to the contrary, London's Air Ambulance is not in danger of closure at this time, the charity is at this time only launching a fresh appeal for funds in preparation for plans to expand the operational hours of our service.

Update: London's Air Ambulance (HEMS) are not associated with 'London Health Emergency' and are not in danger of closure (23rd July, Ed)

To donate to London's Air Ambulance, please visit our website

Thank You

A big Thank You to all our volunteers who worked so hard on Friday and Saturday to raise money for London's Air Ambulance at venues across London. To see some photos of some of the volunteers collecting during the weekend, take a look at our Fundraising Gallery.

We're busy counting all the buckets today, and we'll let you know how much we raised as soon as possible.

A big Thank You also to everyone who generously donated money to one of our collectors on Friday or Saturday. It was nice to see so many friendly faces, and to chat with some busy commuters at Liverpool Street Station as they headed home to enjoy the weekend sunshine.

7th July 2007

On the morning of 7 July2005 , over 30 doctors and paramedics had just started their monthly educational day meeting on the rooftop of The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, where the helicopter is based, when they were alerted to the first explosions.

Medical teams were immediately dispatched to the scene of each incident - Aldgate, Kings Cross, Edgware Road and later Tavistock Square - in the service’s four rapid response vehicles and in the HEMS helicopter. The helicopter flew 26 missions that day ferrying 18 medical teams over London’s grid-locked streets to deliver urgent critical care to the injured at the scene. Fifty two people were killed in the bomb blasts and over 700 were injured.

Dr Gareth Davies, Medical Director of HEMS, said: "On the morning of 7 July, myself and my colleagues had just started our monthly study day where we review and discuss our recent trauma cases when we were alerted to the first incidents. We were very lucky to have so many highly-trained trauma doctors and paramedics in a single room. We really were in the right place at the right time.

"Using our rapid response vehicles and our helicopter, a total of 18 medical teams were transported to each of the four scenes. We assessed patients at the scene and treated those most seriously injured before they were transferred to hospital. We are very proud of the role we played that day but in the end we did what we have been trained to do."

This Saturday marks the second anniversary of the bombings, and London's Air Ambulance will be fundraising across London on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th July to raise funds for our HEMS service. To volunteer on Friday or Saturday please Email us or call 020 7943 1302