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Air Ambulance Trust to benefit from NetDespatch’s fund raising efforts -

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NetDespatch is raising funds to help towards the running costs of Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust (TVAC). The Trust provides an essential life saving service for the Thames Valley area covering Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. Receiving no Government or lottery funding, the Trust relies entirely on sponsorship, donations and fundraising activities to meet its running costs of GBP 1.7M per annum.

NetDespatch is a world innovator in the provision of web software as a service within the express transport sector, and is based within the Air Ambulance Trust's operational zone. Each year, NetDespatch staff vote on a charity to support, and the company donates a fixed percentage of its turnover to their chosen cause. In 2007, for example, NetDespatch donated GBP 11,000 towards the campaign to save the Longridge outdoor activity and watersports centre on the River Thames. With NetDespatch’s turnover increasing steadily year on year the company expects to raise in the region of GBP 20,000 for the Air Ambulance during the coming year as a direct result of this success.

Lyn Paver, Chief Executive of TVAC said: “The superb support shown to TVAC by NetDespatch shows the corporate sector as a whole how businesses can work closely with the charity and make a real difference to patients who ultimately rely on an air ambulance service.
“At the same time, these businesses will be fulfilling organizationally desirable objectives including improving staff morale and motivation as well as enhancing their corporate image and reputation by contributing demonstrable benefits to the community.”

The Trust will soon take delivery of a brand new, bright red, state-of-the-art Eurocopter EC135, prepared by Eurocopter UK, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, to replace its yellow liveried Bölkow 105 helicopter. The new aircraft will be fully equipped with the latest life-saving and medical equipment and will be crewed by a pilot from Bond Air Services and two specially selected paramedics or a paramedic and a doctor. The medical staff provide on the spot medical care and are specially trained to assess the patient and airlift him or her to the most appropriate hospital relative to the trauma. The helicopter will also be equipped with an additional passenger seat so that a nominated person can accompany the patient to hospital.

To-date, the Trust has answered nearly 10,000 emergency calls, saving a significant number of lives by providing a rapid response and delivering emergency medical care to patients that would have been difficult or impossible to reach by on the ground services.

“NetDespatch works within the express transport and logistics sector and has a clear understanding of the need for high levels of service and quick response. We are, therefore, very pleased to be able to support the work of the Air Ambulance Trust in helping it maintain its helicopter for rapid despatch to emergencies,” says NetDespatch CEO Becky Clark.