Great North Air Ambulance

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

MORPETH ROTARY AND THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Morpeth Rotary is planning a major fundraising auction in February in support of the Great North Air Ambulance. Tracy Bowstead agreed to come and talk about what they do. First discussions on having an air ambulance in the north east were in 1971. By 2002 the GNAAS became a totally independent registered charity. It developed quickly and expanded to cover Cumbria, began to carry a doctor as well as a paramedic, and added blood, plasma and ultra sound equipment. It owns and operates three Dauphin N2 helicopters from two staffed bases at Tees Valley Airport near Darlington and Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria. The on-board team is a pilot, a specialist doctor and a paramedic. Staff are on standby 24/7. The aircraft can fly at up to 190 mph, have a range of 500 miles and can usually get to an incident within 15 minutes. They are the largest and fastest air ambulances in the UK. A stretcher can be pivoted in and out and they carry splints, surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, defibrillators and oxygen. As well as direct call-outs the service monitors north east and north west ambulance calls to assess whether any individuals are likely to need their help. It also works with mountain rescue and sometimes RNLI. Responses are coordinated from an airdesk at Tesside Airport. To get as much information as possible in advance, callers are asked if they can pass on a photo of the casualty and their injuries. The area covered is Tyne and Wear, Durham County, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. Major hospitals used are the RVI in Newcastle, Preston Hospital and James Cook at Middlesbrough. Staff and volunteers act as ground crew. They have just moved HQ to a new and better site at Eaglescliffe near Stockton that will save £120,000 a year in rent. They have built a hangar at Tees Valley where ground crew will be upstairs and aircrew downstairs. They run training courses in pre-hospital medicine for local doctors and for medical staff from all over the world as well as carrying out research. In the year 2017/18 they attended over 1000 incidents. Each call-out costs between £2000 and £4000. Most of them are in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland. The majority of incidents are to do with road traffic followed by cardiac arrests but work related to stabbings is on the increase. The 13 paramedics, who are also trained to navigate, are full-time staff members. Just over £5 million a year is needed to run the service. Regular giving is preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.

preferred at for example around £5 a month. For every £1 given 20p goes for essential support services and 80p for frontline activities. It receives no government or NHS cash. A series of short videos was shown to illustrate the work, followed by questions and a vote of thanks by Laurie Walker.