WELCOME Contents


Welcome from John Christensen


Challenge diary


Uplifting patient stories


3


GWAAC at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta 4-5


6 Do you know CPR? 7 8-9


Hello and welcome to HeliMed News


B


eing the Chief Executive of the Great Western Air Ambulance has been an immense privilege for me, and I have enjoyed the journey we have been on together to get to where we are today. For me, this journey as Chief Executive is now coming to an end, as I will be retiring later this year. With our new base in Almondsbury going ahead and the charity’s future looking bright, it


seemed like the perfect time for me to step down, with a new Chief Executive to build on our success. When I think back to our beginnings in 2008 and look at what


we’ve built together, I am incredibly proud, as I hope you are too. Our clinical team provide a world class critical care service to the 2.1 million in our region, 365 days a year. This is only possible because of your fantastic support. This issue of Helimed News really showcases some of the


fantastic work that has gone on in the charity. Our Great Western Heart Starters campaign is one thing that has particularly struck a chord with me. Our Lead Doctor gave me some food for thought, and I would like to share it with you. So I have two questions: How many of you have a smoke alarm in your house? And how many of you have an airbag in your car? I expect that almost all of you do. They are vital things, one warns you if there is a fire in your house, and the other helps to prevent serious injury if you have an accident in your car. But did you know that you are more likely to come across a situation where you have to use CPR than to have a house fire or serious


Your messages and photos


Mission data: 2016 in numbers


Meet team Kili GWAAC on TV


Community heroes


Meet the doctors Leave us a legacy


Published on behalf of the Great Western Air Ambulance by


www.bamboohouse.co.uk 10


11 12 14


16 18 20


accident in your car? Though despite this the number of people who know this skill and would be confident to use it is low. If a bystander has the courage and skills to perform CPR


then the chances of a person surviving is greater. This is why I am delighted to have launched Great Western Heart Starters, a campaign to teach secondary school pupils basic life support skills. You can find out more about this on page 7. As this magazine goes to print 19 dedicated fundraisers have


returned from Africa, where they took on the challenge of a lifetime and climbed Kilimanjaro for us. Reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro is inspiring enough, but raising a fantastic £78,000 makes it a double achievement. You can meet the team on page 12 and learn why they decided to get involved. As always I want to thank you all for supporting us, and helping


us to save lives across the region we cover. GWAAC will always be a part of my life, and even though I am standing down as Chief Executive I will be carrying on in an advisory capacity as a volunteer. I look forward to seeing how the charity continues to grow and I know that the future is bright.


John Christensen Chief Executive


Helimed NEWS THE MAGAZINE OF GREAT WESTERN AIR AMBULANCE CHARITY SPRING 2017 3


Read Tony Parsons’ story on page 9


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