Rugby charity store celebrates 12-year milestone of funding lifesaving missions

 Your local air ambulance’s Rugby charity store is celebrating an impressive 12 years of funding lifesaving missions for the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) by selling high-quality new and pre-loved items.

 Situated in the heart of Warwickshire, the Rugby High Street store opened its doors on 22 November 2010 and was the charity’s first-ever store. Through loyal supporters, the success of this flagship store allowed the charity to add a further 59 stores to its portfolio – which have helped generate vital income for the lifesaving service.

Over the past 12 years, the store has generated an astounding £1,164,960.36 worth of sales for the charity, funding more than 680 lifesaving missions throughout Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and further afield.

 The local store has received 36,927 bags of donated goods but continues to require support from the local community with further donations of new and preloved items, as these provide vital income for the charity.

Funding from the charity’s retail store provides an invaluable source of funding for this vital service, it keeps the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance crews on the frontline 24/7, 365 days a year, delivering pre-hospital critical care to those who need it most.

Store Manager Denise Bates said, “The support we have been given by the Rugby community over the past 12 years has been amazing and this has played a vital role in helping to save lives.”

“From all the team here, we would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who continues to shop with us and donate to us time after time, without this support we wouldn’t be able to provide our lifesaving service. We receive no government funding so rely on your support to keep our service operational.”

The service’s crews can be on the ground within minutes helping to deliver lifesaving care and giving patients the very best chance of survival – so the dedicated support from its local supporters has been and continues to be greatly appreciated by the charity.

“Visit our Rugby charity store and see what early Christmas bargains you can pick up in our array of quality items,” Denise added.

The charity is celebrating its 20^th anniversary of lifesaving service across Warwickshire and Northamptonshire 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 it is today. To get involved please visit: www.theairambulanceservice.org.uk or call 0300 3047 999.