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Air ambulance crews take on 45-mile challenge to help save lives
The Air Ambulance Service’s (TAAS) dedicated frontline medical crews will face a gruelling ordeal when they come together to complete a 45-mile base-to-base challenge.
The Air Ambulance Service operates the local Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA), Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) and national Children’s Air Ambulance (TCAA).
On Sunday 2 October, with the date of the London Marathon, the charity’s critical care paramedics, doctors, pilots, and operations team – including the Director of Operations – will swap boots for trainers and embark on a planned run and cycle from WNAA’s Coventry airbase to DLRAA’s airbase at Nottingham Heliport.
Beginning at 8am in Baginton the runners will follow a trail route through Binley, Coombe Abbey, Wolvey, Burbage, Earl Shilton, Desford, Cropston, Mountsorrel, Sileby, Seagrave, finishing at the Nottingham Heliport around 4pm- with the cyclists following a similar road route.
Some of the team will be taking on the full 45-mile mission, whilst others will join at 26.2 miles, half marathon, 10km or 5km points – with all participants finishing the challenge as a team.
Bringing the WNAA and DLRAA medical team together for the challenge and one of the 45-mile runners, Doctor Scott Castell, says: “As a team, we face very challenging situations daily, so we wanted to come together to do a joint challenge to raise vital funds for TAAS, not only to keep us out there saving lives but to also bond as a team.
“We continue to support the NHS through our frontline lifesaving services, and as a healthcare charity, which receives no government funding, we rely solely on donations from the generous public who consistently take on various fundraisers and challenges for us – so we wanted to come together and do the same.”
The teams will have various checkpoints along the way and are encouraging people to support them by cheering them on and donating to their JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/45base2base
“With the support from our local communities, family, friends, volunteers, colleagues and each other, together we will endure a team-building experience like never before,” says TAAS critical care paramedic, Sophie Birt.
“We would love to see our supporters out there cheering us on in areas where it’s safe to do so, as the community spirit will keep us going – we are taking this challenge on so we can continue being there for everyone in their hour of need” she adds.
The dedicated team have their target set as £450, but they want to raise as much as possible for their monumental efforts.
The team’s progress on the day, as well as their training updates in the lead-up, will be shared across the charity’s social media pages, so people are encouraged to follow its accounts.
The charity is also celebrating its 10th, 15th and 20th anniversaries of its lifesaving services in 2023. To help mark the momentous milestone the charity is asking for supporters to send in any photos, footage, clippings, or share their stories to help showcase how well the service has developed over the years into the leading provider of pre-hospital critical care, and inter-hospital transfers, it is today. To get involved please call 0300 3047 999.
