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After a busy year with call-outs at an all-time high, Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) appealing for the public's help in raising the funds needed to sustain and expand its service.

The charity provides air ambulance services mainly in hours of daylight, while on a night-time, a highly skilled paramedic and doctor operate on a rapid response vehicle in the North East and Cumbria most nights.

The car carries the same life-saving equipment as its airborne counterpart, meaning the team can still deliver blood, anaesthetic procedures, and other advanced treatments to critically ill or injured patients in our region.

The charity, which currently needs to raise approximately £8.5m a year, has been working hard to cover every night of the week so that no matter when someone is need, the team are able to respond.

In January, GNAAS celebrated a year of providing critical care 24/7 in the North East.

It also expanded its all-night rapid response vehicle service in Cumbria to four nights a week, meaning they are even closer to providing 24/7 cover across the whole of the region.

David Stockton, chief executive at GNAAS, said: “Unfortunately, these essential expansions mean that we need to raise even more funds than before to keep our live-saving service running. The frightening truth is that for 2024 we are predicting to run at a deficit. This means we will have to go into our limited reserves just to keep the charity flying this year.

“The life of a charity-funded service can be a tumultuous one, but it usually brings about the most amazing support from the general public.

“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the unwavering enthusiasm of our supporters who dream up amazing challenges to raise funds, or our past patients, who share their experiences so that we can spread our life-saving message, or our loyal volunteers who have donated more than 45,000 minutes of their time in 2023, helping to raise much-needed income and awareness.”

Last year, GNAAS’ critical care teams based in the North East and Cumbria, responded to an additional 745 nighttime incidents on their rapid response cars.

They provided essential medical expertise and care that would have otherwise been unavailable. This shows how crucial it is to make this service available 24/7 across the region. Donations to the appeal can be made at https://www.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk/support-us/donations/annual_appeal_2024/

Great North Air Ambulance Service launch appeal to help them become a 24/7 service