Scotland's Air Ambulance makes urgent call for donations amid coronavirus outbreak
The Scottish Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) has made an urgent call for donations to continue its work amid the coronavirus outbreak.
In a plea for help it said its charity team is unable to sustain the levels of donations required needed to provide a daily response to critical care situations around the country.
It is calling for donations that will support it work, and fund a second helicopter.
The Scottish Air Ambulance works in partnership with the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) and is an integral part of Scotland’s front line emergency response network, responding to trauma incidents and medical emergencies across the country, covering an area of more than 30,000 square miles.
At present it has one air ambulance and one emergency response vehicle.
A spokesman for SCCA said: "As a charity that relies entirely on funding donated by the public, the current challenge for our charity team is to sustain the level of donations required to maintain our service when the vast majority of our fundraising activity has been suspended.
"We have rightly cancelled upcoming engagement opportunities, such as talks with organisations and community groups. Many participation and fundraising events have been postponed or cancelled giving our fantastic fundraisers fewer opportunities to get out there and do something amazing for SCAA.
"Our hard-working volunteers, who help gather support and spread the word about our mission to every corner of Scotland, are now, due to social isolation, no longer able to assist.
"The cancellation of all these activities represents a massive loss to our charity and our staff, who work hard every day with our volunteers and the public to raise the funds we need to keep flying.
"We are working hard to develop and promote other ways that the people of Scotland can support us, including our Life-Saving Lottery, Amazon Smile and payroll giving.
"With the imminent launch of our second air ambulance, we require £4 million a year to maintain our aircraft and the provision of our critical care services.
"During this difficult time, we understand that many families face their own challenges. Money is limited and the priority will always be taking care of your loved ones. We simply ask that if you do value our work, and you have the means to support us, please consider donating to Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance. It’s your support that will keep us flying and saving lives in Scotland."
Donations can be made online by visiting www.scaa.org.uk/donate button, or by clicking donate on the group's Facebook page, by phone on 0300 123 1111 or text "SCAA"and your donation amount to 70085.
