The Air Ambulance Service is awarded vital funds from the Tesco Community Grant Scheme

The Air Ambulance Service has bagged a total of £6,500 from Tesco’s Community Grant scheme giving the charity vital funds to continue its lifesaving missions.

The Air Ambulance Service operates the local Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) which won one vote, winning a total of £1,500, as well as the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) which won two votes and came second in another two votes, winning a total of £5,000 for the charity.

This year, WNAA is celebrating 20 years of dedicated service, and DLRAA is celebrating 15 years of service – saving lives across its counties and further afield. The crews are available 24/7, 365 days a year to deliver lifesaving critical care 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.

Legacies and Trusts Administrator for the charity, Rachael Evans said, “We are extremely grateful to Tesco/Groundworks Funding for putting us forward in so many stores for the customer vote and especially to the Tesco shoppers for voting for our charity so generously.”

“Without Tesco shopper’s kind votes we wouldn’t have been able to secure this much-needed grant for the charity,” she added.

Claire de Silva, Tesco’s Head of Community, said: “Tesco Community Grants help support local good causes like The Air Ambulance Service and especially those projects supporting young people, those providing food, and local causes close to our colleagues’ hearts.”

Tesco Community Grants is run in partnership with community charity Groundwork, which has awarded grants to thousands of local community projects every year.

Tesco’s Community Grants scheme – previously Tesco Bags of Help – has already provided over £100 million to more than 50,000 projects across Britain.

Groundwork’s National Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said: “Tesco Community Grants continues to give local projects the boost they need to help their communities thrive. We are pleased to have been able to help so many local good causes over the years and look forward to seeing what community organisations can achieve in the future with the right resources.”

Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities. To find out more visit www.tesco.com/communitygrants.

To learn more about the charity or to donate visit: www.theairambulanceservice.org.uk or call 0300 3045 999.