Stratford-upon-Avon charity boutique store celebrates funding more than 600 lifesaving missions

Your local air ambulance charity boutique store in Stratford-upon-Avon is celebrating funding more than 600 lifesaving missions for the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) as the charity celebrates 20 years of vital service.

The charity boutique opened its doors on 19 December 2011 and is situated in Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, where the town still features cobbled roads and classic Tudor buildings. Over the past twelve years the charity store has generated £1,068,451.94, amazingly funding more than 600 lifesaving missions – ensuring the charity can continue its pre-hospital critical care across Warwickshire and further afield.

Within minutes, WNAA’s crew can be on the ground delivering lifesaving care at road traffic collisions, sports events, and industrial accidents or for medical emergencies such as cardiac arrest, stroke or accidents in the home. This lifesaving service relies entirely on donations to raise the £1,700 needed for each rescue mission, as the charity receives no government or National Lottery funding, so support from its stores is vital.

The store has also received 40,522 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.

Store Manager Alan Ryan said: “We would like to thank everyone in the local community for their support over the past twelve years. Without this amazing support our crews wouldn’t be able to continue to save lives in Warwickshire and further afield.”

“We still rely on the local community’s support with donations of pre-loved items and encourage the community to come shop with us, especially at this time of year to help keep our crews flying 24/7, 365 days per year,” he added.

This year has seen the charity celebrate 50,000 missions and twenty years of providing its lifesaving service across Warwickshire and Northamptonshire and is encouraging people to visit its charity stores and grab a bargain, donate unwanted clothing to one of many clothing banks, get involved in a challenge event, fundraise, or even sign up to volunteer.

For more information, please visit: www.theairambulanceservice.org.uk or call 0300 3045 999.