On Wednesday 17th February Mike Penning paid a special visit to the Herts Air Ambulance Airbase at North Weald Airfield to show his continued support for the charity.

He met with the current Air Crew and senior members of staff to see and discuss how much progress the Charity operation has made in the past year and also to understand the on-going challenges still facing the Charity.
Mike Penning has been a supporter of the charity since the appeal was first launched in April 2007 to raise funds to secure a dedicated Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for Hertfordshire, one of the few counties left in the UK without its own Air Ambulance service. Therefore, as a local MP, Mike Penning got involved in the appeal using his experience and expertise to help make the challenge a reality by spreading the word to the Herts community to help raise funds for their own life-saving Air Ambulance service.

The Herts Air Ambulance is an essential life-saving Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) helping severely ill and injured people around the County. Our team of specially trained doctors and paramedics provide advanced pre-hospital care to critically ill patients. Currently the Charity needs in the region of £120,000 per month to cover all operational and charitable costs.

Mike Penning commented “Having worked not only with Herts Air Ambulance I am very aware of the issues that face the Air Ambulance industry. I hope I can be instrumental in helping to bring about changes that will enable such an important service to continue for many years to come.”

This important visit is timed perfectly to celebrate a very important milestone in the Charities fundraising history. Since the very first pound was raised back in April 2007, the Charity has raised over £1 million! Every day, volunteers, the public and local businesses work tirelessly to help raise the much needed funds. The Air Ambulance is a Charity which receives no funding; if it were not for the generosity of the people of the County this crucial Helicopter Emergency Medical Service would not be able to fly to keep saving lives across Hertfordshire.

Jane Gurney, Executive Director of the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust said, “We were delighted that Mike was able to spare time out of his very busy schedule to join us to discuss the future of the service and how it can be sustained. We’ve been working closely with the East of England Ambulance Service to provide the best possible pre-hospital care for the people that need it most. We hope that with Mike’s support and involvement he can help to continue and develop this crucial service”.

www.hertsairambulance.uk.com [1]

Photo: (from left to right): Cliff Gale (Operations Director), Ramzi Freij (Medical Director), Mike Penning MP, Jane Gurney (Executive Director) and Darren Hayward (Trustee) with Air Crew Doctor Adam Chesters and Air Crew Paramedic Mike Yeldham.

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