Wiltshire Air Ambulance receives prestigious award

The charity was presented with the honour by Sarah Troughton, the Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire, on Friday evening (11 March) at the Corn Exchange in Devizes.

The Wiltshire Life Awards celebrate excellence across the county, with a total of 18 awards handed out on the night, covering a wide range of categories, including business, sport and entrepreneurship.

The Pride of Wiltshire award, sponsored by Trethowans, honours organisations that Wiltshire Life and the judging panel are proud to have located in the county.

The organisation needs to have made a significant contribution to the county over a period of time and will continue to be an asset to the community for many years to come.

Wiltshire Air Ambulance now enter the ‘hall of fame’, alongside previous winners, such as Salisbury Cathedral and The Wiltshire Community Foundation.

Wiltshire Air Ambulance director of income generation and communications Barbara Gray said: “We are tremendously proud and honoured to have received this award from Wiltshire Life.

“This is a massive reward for our pilots, paramedics, doctors, charity team and volunteers, all of whom play their own crucial part in providing the lifesaving service to the county.

“We would like to thank the Wiltshire Life judging panel, the organisers and sponsors. It was a tremendous night to be part of, celebrating the very best of the county.”

Wiltshire Air Ambulance is a charity which provides helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) across Wiltshire, Bath and surrounding areas.

The charity needs to raise £4 million every year to continue saving lives. It receives no regular direct funding or National Lottery grants, instead relying on the generosity of the people of Wiltshire and Bath.

Last year the charity’s aircrew was called to 1,104 incidents, the equivalent of three lifesaving missions a day.