Northumberland Estates provides air ambulance service with big funding boost

The Duke of Northumberland’s development company named the life-saving service as one of its 2021 charities of the year and has since raised over £16,000 through a combination of staff fundraising and a grant from the Northumberland Estates Community Fund.

The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) brings pioneering pre-hospital care to the scene, rescuing hundreds of severely injured or ill patients every year and, without NHS funding, it relies on the generosity of donations from the public and businesses like Northumberland Estates.

Last year the GNAAS were called out 1,260 times across the 8,000 square miles that they cover in the North East and Cumbria and had their busiest summer at a time when fundraising levels had been substantially reduced due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic.

It recently launched an appeal for volunteers to supportit this summer to help recover the lost funds.

Julie Jameson from the Great North Air Ambulance Service said: “Thank you for the outstanding support shown for the Great North Air Ambulance Service during our time as Northumberland Estate’s Charity of the Year 2021. Because of your generosity, we can continue our life-saving mission to deliver emergency pre-hospital care to those who desperately need us.”

Vanessa Proudlock, head of community engagement at Northumberland Estates, said: “The formation of the Northumberland Estates Community Fund and staff nominated charities forms part of the Estate’s ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility objectives.

"We are delighted that the Great North Air Ambulance Service and Meadow Well Connected in North Tyneside, our two 2021 charities of the year, will benefit from donations totalling over £25,000.”

Northumberland Estate’s Community Fund was created to provide support to community groups, voluntary organisations and environmental projects that improve the quality of life across the region.

The Community Fund aims to make a real and lasting difference in the North East by investing in community activities that have a meaningful impact.

Since its formation in 2019 the Community Fund has supported over 300 organisations and continues to welcome applications from eligible groups.