Stratford-upon-Avon charity store funds almost 50 lifesaving missions since opening

Your Local Air Ambulance charity superstore based in Stratford-upon-Avon is celebrating funding almost 50 lifesaving missions for the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) as the charity celebrates 20 years of vital service.

The store ‘landed’ on Thursday 24 November 2022 and was transformed from a former Topps Tiles store, selling new and pre-loved homeware, furniture, clothing, electricals, and brand-new white goods.

In just four months the superstore has generated an amazing £76,551 worth of sales for the charity, funding almost 50 lifesaving missions, enabling the charity to continue saving lives at road traffic collisions, sports events, medical emergencies – such as cardiac arrest and accidents at home – and other incidents needing expert pre-hospital medical interventions.

The superstore has also received 2,465 bags of generously donated goods since November, which have provided vital income for the charity, but they continue to require the support of the local community for further donations of new and preloved items.

The charity receives no funding from the government or National Lottery for its daily missions and relies entirely on donations to raise the £1,700 needed for each rescue mission. The support from the local community keeps its helicopters and Critical Care Cars operational.

“We would like to say a big thank you for the fantastic support we have received from the local community since we opened. We appreciate each and every donation we receive, but to keep our crews delivering lifesaving critical care 24/7, 365 days per year we still need your support, especially with donations of bric-a-brac and furniture,” said Sari Nagy, Store Manager at Stratford-upon-Avon superstore.

“We rely solely on generous donations, so we rely on your support to keep our helicopters flying. Every donation or sale means we can continue our lifesaving missions across Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and further afield,” she added.

The charity is celebrating its 20^th anniversary of providing 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 3045 999.