GREAT WESTERN AIR AMBULANCE

New Service at Bristol Filton

The new Great Western Air Ambulance came into operational service on Tuesday 3rd June 2008, based at Bristol Filton Airport.

Currently it operates 5 days each week/8hours each day from Tuesday through to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00  It is hoped to expand the service to 7 days/12 hours per day as soon as funds allow.

 It covers the Bristol, Avon, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire area and can be airborne within 2 minutes and fly at approx. 180mph.  It can reach all parts of Avon within 8 minutes and all parts of the region within 14 minutes. 

 In the first 5 days of operation, the air ambulance attended 15 serious trauma incidents and it is anticipated that it will be attend approx. 130 such incidents every month. 

It costs £15 per minute of actual flying time to operate the aircraft and the annual cost of operations in year one will be £1.3 million.  Every single penny of that income will need to be raised from the public as the charity receives no state aid and is not eligible for lottery funding.  Further information from www.greatwesternairambulance.com