Air Ambulance Night Flying Appeal
The Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance currently provides a rapid response to 1500 medical emergencies over 365 days a year but is restricted to providing this lifesaving service in daylight hours only.
The South East Lions Clubs have pledged to provide £250,000 towards the charity to enable them to take forward plans to extend this service into the hours of darkness, opening the potential to cover a further 700 major emergencies a year.
The charity's two helicopters are nor currently suitable for night flying which means that new equipment will be needed, including night vision, enhanced crew training and safety clothes for both clinicians and pilots.
The Air Ambulance is an independent health care provider and is not part of the NHS. The cost of this vital service is just over £5 million a year and will rise to nearer £6 million when night flying commences.
As part of the fundraising towards this project, the South East Lions arranged a Dinner Dance for 1st March 2014 at The Hickstead Hotel. This was open to all and a good night was had by all attending.
As this was so successful, another Dinner Dance was arranged for 27th February 2016 at The Hickstead Hotel.
For further details of the Air Ambulance appeal can be seen on this poster here.
