The Devon Air Ambulance Trust launched its Christmas Appeal this week. The charity is hoping to raise much needed funds after the pandemic cost them £2 million in income.

Devon Air Ambulance Trust is the charity which raises the funds to keep Devon's two Air Ambulances and two Rapid Response vehicles in service. The charity receives no government funding and relies entirely on community funding.

This year, which will see the charity entering its 30th year, Devon Air Ambulance wants to reassure supporters that patients are 'In Good Hands', not just at Christmas, but every day of the year.

Despite the lockdowns, the crew have continued to deliver uninterrupted time-critical care to hundreds of patients in Devon. In 2020, they were responded to 1101 missions by helicopter and 406 missions by Critical Care Car.

A large proportion of the incidents the Air Ambulance respond to are Road Traffic Accidents (RTA). Several years ago, Sam Lewsey was involved in a Road Traffic Accident and was one of those patients who was in critical need of assistance.

For Sam, that help came in the form of the Air Ambulance. He remains thankful for the help he received, and said of the incident: "I'll be forever grateful to Devon Air Ambulance and to people like you who support them."

"Your support and donations mean that they have the skills and equipment needed when time is critical and emergency care needs to be delivered at the scene. I know for sure that the sound of those rotor blades filled me with hope and relief."

The Air Ambulance works closely with the emergency services and continues to support nation-wide road safety campaigns such as Project Edward (Every Day Without A Road Death) earlier this year and National Road Safety Week on 15-22 November.

Sally Hilton, Head of Fundraising at the charity, explains the importance of the Christmas Appeal: "We feel incredibly fortunate to have been so well supported by the people of Devon over the past couple of years, who have truly rallied to help us through some challenging times, but we absolutely welcome continued support."

"Our crews deliver time-critical care to trauma and medical incidents every day of the year and well into the hours of darkness, which, during the festive season in particular, arrive earlier with the shorter days.".

"Time and time again we hear how reassured patients feel when they hear the approaching rotation of the aircraft blades because they know they are in good hands."

This Christmas, Sam's family are just one of many families that are thankful for the continued work of The Devon Air Ambulance.

Click here to donate.