Above and Beyond | Issue 1 by airambulancekss

Autumn 2021

Your new supporter magazine is here!

See how you are changing lives every day

Kindly supported by

Page 6

Page 8

How your support changes lives like Noel’s

Experience life on base with our dedicated crew

KSS

AIR AMBULANCE CHARITY KENT SURREY SUSSEX

We hope you enjoy this first issue of your new magazine, celebrating the incredible people who deliver and support our life-saving care, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We would love to know your thoughts, so please do get in touch! Thank you.

In this issue 3 4 6 9

16 18 22 24 26 28 32

Welcome to your new magazine Latest news Noel’s story A day in the life... KSS crew Our vision and values Our people; behind the scenes at KSS A day in the life of... KSS operations Fabulous fundraising. Thank you to... A collection box’s story Events round-up Kerry’s story

Ways to support KSS 20 Could you win the KSS Lottery?

31 Leave a lasting legacy

34 2022 events — sign up today!

Keep in touch Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex Rochester City Airport Maidstone Road Chatham Kent ME5 9SD

aakss.org.uk

airambulancekss

hello@aakss.org.uk

airambulancekss

01634 471 900

airambulancekss KSSAirAmbulance

Registered charity number 1021367. A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales. Company no. 2803242

Welcome Welcome to Above and Beyond, your new supporter magazine! I wanted to begin by sending you my sincere and heartfelt thanks – every medical emergency we have responded to over the past 32 years has been possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters. Together we have attended 35,000 incidents across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Our crews go above and beyond every day and so do you, our inspiring and dedicated supporters. Together we’re providing the very best possible outcomes for our patients. Thank you on behalf of our patients and their families who have received our critical, prehospital emergency care. Inside this first edition you’ll learn about day-to-day life at our Redhill base from our Operational Support Team (page 22) and one of our crew members (page 9). You’ll also read about how your support is helping to save lives across our regions like Noel (page 6). His story illustrates just how critical your support and care is, in saving lives and keeping families together. The past 20 months have been immensely challenging for us all, but we are so incredibly grateful for your ongoing support and dedication during this uncertain time.

We launched our first ever emergency appeal in 2020 (page 30) which has meant we’ve been able to continue delivering our critical care throughout the pandemic, without missing a single shift. Our response to COVID-19 and ongoing work to provide the best possible outcomes for our patients was recognised recently at the Kent Charity Awards and Charity Times Awards (page 4). We know that this success was only achievable thanks to the sheer dedication and commitment from all of Team KSS, including our teams, volunteers, trustees, fundraisers and you, our supporters. I often say this is the best job I have ever had, the best team I’ve ever had the privilege to lead and the best organisation I’ve ever been a part of. Thank you for the vital role you play in making all of our work possible. Best wishes,

v id

David Welch, CEO

3 I Autumn 2021

Latest news We are Outstanding!

In March 2020 we became the first HEMS to be rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission in all five of its inspection key lines of enquiry; safe, effective, caring, responsive and wellled. We were praised for our engagement with partners such as local NHS trusts and the Ministry of Defence and our commitment to the local community. We are all incredibly proud of this fantastic achievement, and want to say a huge thank you to all of our wonderful supporters.

Honours for Team KSS Leigh Curtis, our Executive Director of Service Delivery, received an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2021 for services to the Air Ambulance Service particularly during COVID-19. Leigh has pioneered many innovations, helping us to reach many more critically ill patients and significantly contributing to improved outcomes. Mark Wilson, one of our Emeritus Doctors, received an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2020 for his work on GoodSAM — an app he co-founded that enables those calling emergency services to instantly share their location and live video.

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Noel’s story The other was an offduty anaesthetist who called the emergency services.

It was a regular Tuesday morning in September 2019, when Noel kissed his wife, Emily, and their five-yearold son, Murray, before heading off to work as usual. In his own words, Noel describes how on that morning, his life changed forever.

6 I Autumn 2021

I was on my motorbike, passing a junction in Tonbridge with my right of way, when a car drove straight into me — the biggest shunt you could ever imagine. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground and couldn’t feel my legs. I quickly realised that my injuries were severe and that I was fighting for my life. I was very lucky that the first two people on the scene were experienced healthcare professionals. One was a physiotherapist, who held my head and spoke to me to keep me conscious.

I don’t remember much — other than thinking that I may not survive and asking the physiotherapist to tell my wife and son how much I loved them. I do, however, remember hearing the KSS helicopter arrive and then, that was it. My next memory was three and a half weeks later, waking up in the Intensive Care Unit at the King’s College Hospital Major Trauma Centre. I was subsequently told that I would not be alive today if it wasn’t for the specialist skills of the KSS team. As well as broken limbs, I had punctured lungs, very low blood pressure and no pulse. The HEMS crew kept me alive for the 10 minutes it took to get to King’s by helicopter and it is highly unlikely

I would have survived a longer journey. My injuries have been life-changing. I had to have my left leg amputated and I am paralysed from the waist down. It’s been a tough road to recovery and I have had to take time to grieve for the life that I had planned and the impact on my family. I am now at the start of rebuilding my life and I hope to return to as many sporting activities as possible. I previously completed 25 marathons and six Ironmans and that training has been invaluable in motivating me through the rehabilitation process. I am immensely proud of my family. Murray has taken it all in his stride and is fundraising for the charity that saved my life. So far, he has raised over £12K through a number of different challenges,

including running the equivalent of a marathon over five days — quite an achievement for a five-year-old! In addition, Murray, Emily and I supported the KSS Run 31 fitness fundraiser. True to form for our family, we challenged ourselves to complete the 31 miles all in one day with Murray cycling, Emily running and me pushing myself along in my wheelchair. My family and I are now very much part of KSS. Since my accident, I have had to re-focus and remind myself of what’s important in life and I have learned the hard way what a beautiful thing it is to be alive. When I hear the birds, hug my family or watch Murray playing sport, I know that none of it would be possible without KSS.

I am so grateful to be alive, to be able to tell my family that I love them and to have a future with them. KSS is a crucial, lifesaving charity, hugely reliant on raising significant funds from the public every year. Fundraising for them is the least we can do. Noel

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8 I Autumn 2021

Paramedic and Operational Manager David Wright shares a day in the life of one of our crews at our Redhill base.

6:35am We generally arrive at Redhill in good time to change into flight suits (and make a cup of tea!) before taking a handover from the night team. We chat through the missions they were called to attend and check if any kit needs replacing.

7am It’s important for us to make sure the aircraft and cars are ready to go as soon as possible. The pilots complete an ‘A-check’ of the aircraft, which needs to be done every 24 hours, and whilst they complete this, Marwa (the HEMS doctor) and I check both the car and aircraft. The medical equipment, such as the ventilator and patient monitors are tested to make sure they are functioning properly. If any kit is defective, we have spares on base and we ask the support team to arrange for repairs.

7:30am With checks complete, we get together with our two pilots (Kev and Mark) and run through the daily brief. This covers everything from the aircraft to payload, weather, local aviation notices and road conditions in the region. If a job comes in now, we have a shortened brief, so as not to delay our deployment. 7:45am Time to go to the aircraft with First Officer, Mark, to undertake a ‘90day brief’. Every doctor and paramedic does this on both our AW169 and MD902 aircraft types, to ensure we are up to date with emergency procedures and changes on the aircraft. 8am Breakfast — just coffee and cereal as it’s a weekday. At weekends, we all try and sit down together for a cooked breakfast, with everyone bringing in their favourite supplies!

A day in the life of...

KSS crew

9 I Autumn 2021

We’re able to land directly at the scene, known as an ‘alpha landing’. The patient has been extricated by the fire service but is unconscious. After carrying out a thorough examination, 8:06am That break 8:22am We get an it is clear the patient didn’t last long! The update from Carol needs an emergency radio calls us, “Helimed the job is not quite as anaesthetic and 60, job for you in given in the call — the fluid resuscitation Brighton.” Leaving a person has actually with blood. This is full mug of coffee, I fallen two meters and take brief details from not 20, and the Critical something we train for and we carry all our dispatcher, Carol. Care Paramedic on We know someone scene is happy to stand the necessary drugs, plus a supply of blood has fallen from height, us down. However, but we have little other another call is coming products on board. We set up our equipment, detail at this stage. in, this time an RTC and with the help of (road traffic collision) This is a ‘Grade 1 the other emergency and the driver is send’, so the aim is services deliver the reported as trapped. to send the aircraft critical treatment the within two minutes 8:38am As we arrive, patient urgently needs. of the job coming we see a car has left In the meantime, the in. The pilots have the road and is in a pilots have checked already made their field. The ambulance way out to the aircraft service, fire and rescue that the helipad at the nearest major trauma and have received and police are all on centre (King’s College the grid location of scene. As we find Hospital) can receive the incident. They a safe landing site, us. Once the patient speak with the control Marwa takes photos is anaesthetised, we tower at Redhill, who of the scene — these call ahead to alert co-ordinate with the can be useful at the King’s that the patient air-traffic controllers hospital, to help is ‘Code red’ so they at Gatwick to arrange them understand the can arrange for trauma for us to pass into their mechanism on the surgeons to meet us. airspace without delay. accident.

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On route, we monitor the patient’s condition, whilst our pilots coordinate with the air traffic controllers to allow us to fly directly to the helipad. We are met by a full trauma team, who take a handover from Marwa, and continue care of our patient. 10.30am Back at Redhill someone has kindly cleared away the coffee mug! The early team (who started at 6am) are on base, so we know they will be sent on the next job, giving us time to restock our bags. 11am We try again for a coffee; this time we get to finish it! We check what duties are scheduled for us — each day we have different things to do, such as a detailed check of a particular bag, or cleaning and restocking one of the clinical areas. Today, our task is to clean and tidy the drugs room, so we do this whilst awaiting our next job.

11am SERV arrive at Redhill with a fresh supply of blood. When Carol heard us call a ‘Code Red’ she arranged replenishments. We give them the box we used, complete with paperwork which allows the blood transfusion service to track the blood and the recipient. 12:30pm After a quick sandwich, Marwa and I decide to update some training. We keep a clinical passport, which reminds us which skills may need refreshing — today it’s arterial lines. We practice placing them on a mannequin and setting up the monitoring equipment. Some skills are used infrequently, but by ensuring our training is up to date we are confident that we can rely on them when needed.

2:30pm The late team will be in soon. They take over from the ‘earlies’ at 3pm and work until midnight. Before we get a chance to say hello, the radio goes again and we are off to a job in Pulborough. 2:40pm Carol updates us — a small child has been knocked over. As a parent, I dread this type of job most. However, I know that we can deliver the best care, and so concentrate on what we need to do. We run through the drug calculations — for children, we base the dosages on the patient’s age and weight. We can’t land next to the patient, but there is a park nearby, and we jog to the scene. The ambulance service have done a fantastic job to calm the patient and his mum — it’s clear the lad has broken his leg and after an examination, we give strong analgesia and put his leg in a splint.

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A car hitting a child risks significant other injuries, so we triage the patient to a paediatric major trauma centre. The nearest one is Southampton. A quick check with the pilots confirms we have sufficient fuel and capacity to take mum too — we will always try to do this. With strong pain relief, and leg splinted, our patient falls asleep! Mum is reassured and it’s satisfying to hand the patient over knowing we have been able to keep them comfortable.

6pm Nearly the end of shift! We’ve got everything ready for the night. We take the opportunity to sit down and chat through the jobs we have done — it’s really helpful to talk things through, particularly where jobs are challenging. We know it’s the best way to deal with our emotions and helps with our wellbeing. 6:30pm The night team are in early. We’re more than happy to see them and make a round of tea for everyone. We hand over, just as the previous night team had done for us, before the radio calls at 6:50pm “Helimed 60, job in Dover”. The night team offer to take the job, even though they don’t officially start until 7pm. We head to the helipad to watch the aircraft take off — it’s a sight we never tire of, even after many years of working for KSS!

12 I Autumn 2021

We head to the helipad to watch the aircraft take off — it’s a sight we never tire of, even after many years of working for KSS!

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Our vision for the future We’re proud to be a world-leading, forward- thinking organisation, driven by our purpose, led by our values and putting people at the heart of everything we do. This has also been the case during the past challenging and unprecedented 20 months. Despite this, we have continued to deliver emergency, critical care without dropping one single shift, caring for those across our region who need us most. But we have also been considering how we can make even more of an impact, how we can help more patients and ensure improved patient outcomes. The KSS Way is our culture, strategy and vision for the future. It sets out the world we want to see and our strategy for making it happen. We want to help create a future where there is less medical emergency, where we can influence the need for our core service by providing education and training opportunities which equip our communities to provide critical first response, and where our patients and their families are able to benefit from ongoing patient and family support to enable their best possible future.

People centred

People are at the heart of what we do

Saving lives and ensuring the best possible patient outcomes

Purpose driven

Our purpose is why we exist and how we will accomplish our vision. It drives our goals and objectives and shapes our business plans.

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Our vision is an end to preventable loss of life from medical emergency

Caring Trusted Dedicated Innovative Collaborative

Value led

Our values describe our culture – how we treat people, the way we behave and how we want to be thought of.

Our values: the heart of what we do As always, our future plans are closely aligned to our values of being Caring, Trusted, Dedicated, Innovative and Collaborative. We believe passionately in the power of collaboration, a value that we embrace through increased collaborative working with our NHS and ambulance service colleagues, in order to play an even more critical role in the chain of care.

Caring Caring for people and putting people at the heart of what we do

Trusted Generating trust in everyone we engage with

Dedicated Dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for our patients and communities

Innovative Pushing the boundaries through research and innovation to better meet the needs of our patients and expectations of our supporters

Collaborative Embracing collaboration and partnership to achieve the best for our patients

Your support is as critical as our care. We want to be there for our patients to #CareTheKSSWay, but we cannot do this without your ongoing support, passion and commitment to KSS. A massive and heartfelt thank you to all of our incredible supporters. Together we will create a future where there is an end to preventable loss of life from medical emergency.

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Our people Dr Helen Bowcock OBE DL | Chair In December 2013 I found myself sitting in a modest hangar at Redhill Aerodrome listening to the most captivating story of courage and determination, of innovation and ambition. I was a guest at the official launch of the KSS night flying service and when, several months later, I was approached to consider joining the charity’s Board I did not hesitate to accept. My own family had reason to appreciate the value of pre-hospital medicine. In 1980 my father was thrown off a bike when he was hit at high speed by a car. He was lucky that a doctor was first on the scene whose intervention undoubtedly saved a limb. But would his three month stay in hospital have been reduced if he had been airlifted there and if a specialist crew had attended? These questions bring home the significance of major developments such as night flying and the dedication of KSS staff to the continuous incremental improvements that make such a difference to patient outcomes. They also mean that it has not been hard to find the motivation to volunteer time as a Trustee, and since 2016, as Chair.

Sarita Taneja | Community Fundraiser I love working for KSS because it’s an amazing charity that makes a real difference to people in my own community. I never know what each day will bring but at some point, I will be reminded of what we do and why it matters. Patients are a constant inspiration — we don’t always have happy endings, but it’s humbling that, even in the saddest of times, people come together to do wonderful things for us. 18 I Autumn 2021

There are many dedicated people here at KSS, who work tirelessly behind the scenes. Here’s a little peek to meet some of the people involved.

Cian O’Leary | Pilot Air Ambulance has always appealed to me over any other type of flying — helping others while also doing my dream job is the perfect combination! Some days are busier than others, but when a call does come in we don’t hang about. I am amazed at how calm the doctors and paramedics remain in the midst of what looks like complete chaos, and at the same time deliver such complicated interventions to their patients, it is truly impressive.

Becky Kenny | Head of Governance and Compliance My passion for governance and compliance grew from my operational roots and keeps me grounded – it ensures everything we do supports the development and growth of our charity. Keeping up to date with our regulators is key to stay ahead and prepare the relevant teams. Our crews do incredible work, but it’s only possible because of the amazing support we receive — that’s why we also work hard to look after our supporters and the information we hold.

John Kenton Page | Volunteer I knew about Air Ambulance from my flying days, and I had always been interested in medical matters. So I started giving talks, doing collections outside stores, attending cheque presentations and so on. On one occasion I went to a cycling club for young children. They’d raised £1.5k, which blew me away. They had done it because one of their members needed help up on the Downs and KSS came. Hearing that kind of thing really makes it all worthwhile. 19 I Autumn 2021

The lottery that saves lives Over 90,000 amazing supporters take part in our three lotteries, creating our biggest source of income and raising an incredible £7.5M in 2020. Almost ten years after introducing our main lottery draw in 2004 we launched our 24/7 Lottery to coincide with the start of our night flying operation. The support shown by our communities allowed us to become the first 24-hour Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) in the UK.

In 2007 we launched the Superdraw, an additional lottery to our main draw. The Superdraw is a rollover style lottery, with an exact match of numbers to a playing entry needed for the jackpot prize to be won. Currently, the weekly prize stands at around £4,500, but it is possible that this jackpot could roll over to an incredible £25,000. When this happens, it must be won!

It is often said that you need luck to play the lottery, but we know just how lucky we are to have your support. Because of you we can continue to provide critical care to those patients that need it, every single day. James Cook Head of Lotteries and Gaming

20 I Autumn 2021

Raffle success!

Our first raffle was held in the summer of 2007 and since then we’ve held 31 raffle draws. The majority of our raffles are held at spring, summer and during the Christmas period, with tickets selling at £1. There are a total of eight prizes available, with a top prize of £5,000 for the winner! In 2015 we held our first Win a Car raffle — the same year that we celebrated 25 years of operating our service.

Tickets are sold at £5 each and the 1st prize is a brand new car!

I was absolutely amazed to win, I have entered numerous raffles before and never won anything, so it was a very lovely surprise to receive the call! A lucky raffle winner!

Winning since 2004

2⃣ 0⃣ 0⃣ 4⃣ 2⃣ 0⃣ 0⃣ 7⃣ 2⃣ 0⃣ 0⃣ 7⃣ 2⃣ 0⃣ 0⃣ 8⃣

Regular Lottery started

Superdraw begins

First raffle – summer

First £25,000 Superdraw winner

2⃣ 0⃣ 1⃣ 3⃣ 2⃣ 0⃣ 1⃣ 5⃣ 24/7 Lottery

Car raffle launched

If you’d like to join over 90,000 lottery members and be in with a chance of winning fantastic prizes of up to £25,000 then why not enter today? Call us on 01634 471 900 or sign up online:

aakss.org.uk/join-our-lottery

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A day in the life of... 22 I Autumn 2021

Operational support Meet our ‘go to’ team, for all things operational. They stand ready to support the crew, ensuring they have all the equipment and necessary items to carry out their work effectively. Here Larry and Maire share what a day looks like for them on our Redhill base. 7:30am We attend the morning briefing with the crew and pilots to ensure we are fully aware of any operational issues, including whether the cars or the aircraft are in use that morning and if any equipment or vehicles have been defected overnight. 8:30am The Operations Support Team briefing includes checking against our logging system for incidents or issues that may affect our service. Then we prioritise our work for the day or week. All of our major medical equipment is subjected to regular scheduled servicing and maintenance, which we organise either on site or away.

We are responsible for the maintenance of the emergency response cars, including checking the oil, tyres and organising regular servicing. As a response car, even though new, they require an annual MOT due to the nature of our work, so we organise that too. 9am Some of our monitoring equipment (such as lactate and coagulation machines) require regular testing which we carry out on site as early as possible in the day before it gets busy. We also audit the equipment bags used by crew on scene, ensuring all correct items are there and expiry dates are valid.

10am Drug order collection: Drugs include intravenous drips, prefilled syringes, oral medications and Controlled Drugs which have their own special legal ordering and storage regulations.

Monitoring stock levels of our consumable medical equipment, including personal protective equipment (PPE), is vital for the safe running of our operation. We also monitor our drug and oxygen stock levels weekly to ensure we have enough on hand to treat our patients.

12pm Any crew uniforms needing repair will be left on our desk, which we then take to a local repair shop. As we have a ‘spare rail’ with different size uniforms, the crew member can borrow these in the interim. We also organise uniforms for new crew members. 1pm Following some incidents, police or solicitors will ask for medical information to assist in investigations and civil claims. We log and check requests for all necessary legal requirements and send the information in a timely manner.

2pm Our crew carry blood and plasma products to treat our most seriously ill patients. The dried plasma (Lyoplas) has to be prepared and packed safely and ready for use. 3pm Liaison with other members of the KSS Team and other agencies is vital for the smooth running of our operation. We have mandatory training to undertake at least annually. We also assist when there are new crew starting their induction programme — sometimes even acting as patients!

4pm Supply run: Sometimes the crew need food such as butter, milk, or bread, so we pop out to top up supplies! 23 I Autumn 2021

Fabulous fundraising

We are always amazed by the dedication, imagination and passion we see from our fabulous KSS fundraisers and wanted take this opportunity to say a huge thank you. Coolings keep us flying high

Lions roar into action for KSS

We are delighted that Coolings Nurseries have raised over £9.5K for KSS so far as part of our partnership, which could help fund aircraft fuel for up to 79 missions.

Throughout June, When bad weather prevents us from Coolings created a flying, our rapid response vehicles ‘Flying High’ range of provide our world-leading pre-hospital plants for customers emergency medical care by road. to brighten up their Every year we need to purchase a new gardens, and for each vehicle and this year our thanks go to one sold, £1 was donated to us the Lions District 105SE for fundraising raising a brilliant £1.75K. the full £42K to cover the cost. They’ve also raised an incredible Over the last eight years, we £7.8K to date through an have raised more than £360K for additional campaign where they KSS and we look forward to donate 10p for every transaction continuing our relationship with KSS made with a Coolings Family in the future, helping them to save Member card in their centres. This campaign is running until the end many more lives. of December 2022. Howard Lee, Chairman for the appeal

NatWest Southern region are one of our longest standing business partners, having raised more than £100K over the years! Staff at branches across the region have organised quiz nights, bake sales, and a ‘Three Peak’ challenge! Some have even volunteered their time and assisted in the KSS office. Although the pandemic made fundraising more challenging, the teams were determined. They held a ‘Wear Red Instead’ weekend and some took on a 130 mile walking challenge — the equivalent of their market area. 24 I Autumn 2021

Fidelity International back Team KSS

This was the first year of our new partnership with Fidelity International, and we have been overwhelmed by their support. From staff joining our virtual events with their families involved, to sponsoring the Hound Hike 100 and KSS Ride, we’ve all been inspired by their commitment.

Gatwick Airport lend their voices in support of KSS!

Our long-standing partnership with Gatwick Airport has seen them raise over £120K since 2018. We have been overwhelmed by their support and were thrilled when their Choir High Altitunes, joined our festive Brew with the Crew last year, providing a wonderful introduction to this popular event. At a difficult time for the aviation industry we have so valued their continuing support and wish them all the best for the coming year!

Annie’s 10k success Here at KSS, we are always humbled by families that, in the saddest of times, do so much to help others. In July, Annie Uttridge and her family took on a 10k run in memory of her mum, who we helped last year but sadly passed away. Annie and her family completed the run and have raised an amazing £765 to date.

After completing their challenge, Annie sent us a lovely message: We would like to thank you all again for everything you did for my mum. We appreciate the support your charity gives all year round, thank you so much.

Tim’s Festive Fundraiser

75-year-old Tim Bell is one of our well-known supporters. He decorates his mobility scooter, complete with flashing lights and an on-board sound system, as a helicopter to help raise funds. He has raised over £8K for us over the years, for which we are incredibly thankful. Dedicated supporters, like Tim are at the heart of all that we do, making our work possible.

Inspired by our fantastic fundraisers? Want to know more about ways to support us? Get in touch at hello@aakss.org.uk or call 01634 471 000 25 I Autumn 2021

Story of a collection box — small change, big difference their ID badge and takes me away, leaving a new box in my place.

I sit quietly on this shop counter, minding my own business until someone generously feeds me with their loose change. As time goes by, I become fuller which is quite uncomfortable! Thankfully, my trusty assistant (known as a ‘volunteer box agent’) turns up just in time, shows the shopkeeper

We go to the bank where my security seal is broken and my contents are tipped into the counting machine. It makes me really happy to know that the money goes straight to where its most needed. My assistant takes me home then and gives me a good spruce up, as I can get quite grubby! The results of my efforts are written onto a form – I’ve collected over £40 this time. The shop owner will be delighted! The next day, I’m off to a local pub, where

my assistant gives me a new number and shows the landlord how to attach my chain securely to something so that nobody steals me. This makes me feel safe and I look forward to my time at the pub; a bit of a change of scene. Boxes can sit in all sorts of interesting venues, so I’ve got plenty of adventures to come! I overhear my assistant thanking the landlord for having me and saying that over £38K was collected by boxes over the last year – wow, that must really make a difference!

We urgently need more collection box agents across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. If you have time to share and would like to join this vital team, please get in touch!

volunteering@aakss.org.uk 26 I Autumn 2021

Join our volunteering heroes!

Volunteers are a key part of our KSS family and make a huge difference to our ability to raise funds. They are often the face of our charity among the local community, as they interact with people in all walks of life, spreading the word about the work of our crews. We’re always welcoming new recruits to carry out tasks such as: •

Attending events on our behalf

•

Doing store collections to raise vital funds

•

Receiving donations at cheque presentations

•

Giving talks about our work

•

Managing our collection boxes in the community

We also have some volunteers who help us in our offices at Rochester, and others who like to go out and cheer on our amazing participants at cycle rides and runs. We rely almost completely on volunteers for most of these tasks and would welcome applications from anyone who might be interested in joining our Volunteering Team. Interested in finding out more? Please go to aakss.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering, call us on 01634 471 900 or email volunteering@aakss.org.uk

27 I Autumn 2021

Events round-up Thank you to everyone who has organised or attended events, in person or virtually, to raise money for KSS. Despite the challenges of a global pandemic, look what you have achieved!

Supercars show their might for KSS

A supercar and classic car display in Maidstone jointly organised by Tyrepoint and Kent Car Meets raised over £2K! Visitors came from across the county to admire the range of over 80 cars on show. The organisers charged £2 for admission and donated all proceeds to us. Mark from Tyrepoint chose to support KSS as we had helped to save his friend’s life following an accident the previous year.

We are so incredibly grateful to everyone. Every pound raised helps us to remain fully operational 24/7, ensuring we can be there for people across our regions in their hour of need. Helene Poursain Director of Fundraising and Events, KSS 28 I Autumn 2021

Pooch power for KSS!

Paws up to our fabulous fundraisers and their canine companions who took part on our Hound Hike 100 in May. Kindly sponsored by Fidelity International, the event raised over £21K with over 650 people and around 800 dogs taking part.

KSS Riders raise over £30K! Kindly sponsored by Fidelity International, our first ‘hybrid’ event gave horse-lovers the opportunity to join us for KSS Ride, live at the Kent Showground from 21st-22nd August, or virtually from their own location.

Image: Courtesy of David Purday, Stavros Images.

Inky Dinky riders saddle up for KSS

More than 100 young equestrians aged from just 20 months took part in the Inky Dinky Ride, raising over £18K. The idea came from horselover Rosalind and her two young children, who, wanted to find a fun way to raise funds for a cause that matters to all equestrians.

The ride was all about having fun. However, we all know, that when horse riding accidents happen, they are often in remote locations that can only be reached by an Air Ambulance. Rosalind

School struts their stuff to raise vital funds After the pandemic scuppered plans for a charity fun run, We were determined to Tunbridge Wells Grammar make our final fundraising School for Boys held a virtual activity count this year and we fancy dress dance extravaganza thought it would cheer everyone instead, to raise funds for KSS. up to join together remotely in a The virtual dance-off was opened up to the whole school, including students, families and staff.

fun experience.

Deputy Head Boy

Alongside the fun, the dance, smashed the school’s original fundraising target, raising almost £3K towards their incredible £5K total!

Inspired? Sign up to find out what’s happening next

If you’re planning an event or fundraising activity - or would like to - let us know! Contact us at hello@aakss.org.uk 29 I Autumn 2021

Our Million Pound Emergency Appeal In April 2020 we launched our first ever Emergency Appeal, triggered by a shortfall in our core funding due to the cancellation of major fundraising events. This combined with the increased costs associated with operating a safe service during the pandemic, with full infection prevention controls for our crew, patients and aircraft. We needed to invest in specialist equipment and protective wear to ensure our staff had the necessary resources to stay safe and continue to save as many lives as possible. With the amazing generosity of supporters like you we raised over £1.5M within six months. Never before have we been so astounded by such a display of support. COVID-19 suddenly and severely impacted our ability to fundraise but thanks to all of our dedicated supporters we have been able to continue providing our lifesaving critical care throughout the pandemic.

We also extended our service and supported the NHS and South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb), to transfer over 100 critically ill patients between Intensive Care Units. This was a significant undertaking and one that we are very proud to have been involved in.

Thank you so much for your outstanding support during an unprecedented time. Thanks to you, we have been able to provide 24hour emergency care in a time of great need.

CORONAVIRUS EMERGENCY APPEAL 30 I Autumn 2021

Could you leave a gift in your Will? Leaving a gift in your Will to KSS means that you can leave your mark on your local community and help people in need even after you have gone. We know that writing a Will can be an incredibly daunting prospect for a lot of people, but to help make the process a little easier, we’ve partnered with Bequeathed. They provide a free online Will-writing service which allows everyone to create an up-to-date Will. They also provide 30-minutes of free legal advice with an accredited legal professional. Whilst Bequeathed is very userfriendly, we understand that many people will already have other arrangements for writing their Will.

Whether you use Bequeathed or not, all you need to know to include us in your Will is our name, registered charity number and address. If you already have a Will but wish to include a gift to us, then you can make an amendment using our codicil form. All of these details and more information can be found on the “Leave a Gift in your Will” page on our website. On behalf of all future patients, their families and friends – thank you.

Find out more about leaving a gift in your will at:

aakss.org.uk/legacies

31 I Autumn 2021

Kerry’s story My name is Kerry and late one evening last September, my life was saved by the expertise and skill of the KSS team after I was involved in a serious car accident.

KSS is a charity which has always been close to mine and my family’s hearts, but I never dreamed that one day they would save my life.

32 I Autumn 2021

I was in a taxi from Ebbsfleet Train Station, just a mile from my house — a journey that I’d made many times before — when a speeding car collided with us head on round a slight bend in the road. That is the last thing I remember before waking up in King’s College Hospital one week later. My memory from that night is very faint, I had no idea what had happened to me. In a way, I was lucky to have had my accident where I did, as KSS is one of the only air ambulance services in the country to fly 24/7 so they were able to get to me quickly.

Due to the location of my incident, the team landed nearby and were transported to the scene by the police. I was told that when they arrived I was struggling to remain conscious, with a fast heart rate and low blood pressure. I had multiple injuries, including fractures to my femur and pelvis, which the KSS team administered an emergency anaesthesia for so they could splint my leg and pelvis to avoid further injury. I was given a blood transfusion at the scene, as the KSS team were concerned I might have been bleeding internally from the impact of the crash. It was decided I’d be taken to hospital by road with the team from KSS accompanying me so they could continue my blood transfusion.

The days from the first week that I was awake in hospital all blurred into one. I was unconscious for a week, and in hospital for a month, undergoing surgery to have a metal rod placed into my femur connected to my hip. When I was released from hospital, I still wasn’t able to go home as I was unable to manage stairs. Luckily, my brother lives in a bungalow so in mid-October I moved in with him to begin my recovery. Living with family gave me the confidence and encouragement I needed to try new things. Carrying tea in the wheelchair was interesting, but even more so when I upgraded to crutches!

I was grateful to be able to live with my brother, but I missed living in my own home with my husband Keith. With the help of my occupational therapist, just before Christmas I was mobile enough to be able to return to my house. Christmas 2020 looked a little different for everyone last year because of the Coronavirus pandemic, but I was just so thankful to be back in my own home. Looking ahead to this Christmas, my recovery is still ongoing, but, I am determined to build up the muscles in my legs so that I can start to walk properly again. KSS gave me the best gift I could ever ask for, my life.

The unique skills of the KSS team saved my life and for that I will be forever grateful. Without the interventions that KSS were able to provide at the scene of the accident, my recovery could have looked a lot different. In fact, I may not even have made it to the recovery stage.

Meet more patients whose lives you’ve changed through your support of KSS on our website aakss.org.uk/about-us/patient-stories 33 I Autumn 2021

Events coming up

Run 31 is back! Our amazing Run 31 team will be back out in

force next January, and we would love you to join us! Find out everything you need to get involved on our website: aakss.org.uk/run31

BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED HOMES IN SUPERIOR LOCATIONS IN KENT

FAMILY MEMBERSHIP MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS DESIGNED TO COMPLEMENT YOUR NEEDS.

Choose from village, town or coastal developments, and select your new home from our range of stylish designs Pebble Gate Place, Sandwich

Forstal Mead, Coxheath

Family Membership is available for two adults and includes two children less than 18 years of age. Members in this category enjoy full use and access to all the facilities on offer at London Golf Club, including our various social events, exclusive fitting days, and more. Members also enjoy privileged rates at some of the best golf courses around the world.

For more information call 01622 740170

www.westerhillhomes.co.uk

34 I Autumn 2021

For more information please contact LGC Golf Sales on 01474 875752 or email dominic@londongolf.co.uk For more information please contact the LGC Golf Sales department on 01474 875752 or email dominic@londongolf.co.uk JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Events coming up

Events include a prestigious golf day to raise funds for our livesaving service. A regular feature in UK top 100, London Golf Club boasts two championship golf courses, complemented by an awardwinning clubhouse, first-class hospitality and exceptional service to offer a memorable experience to members and guests.

Join the 2022 KSS Golf Day! 14th June 2022 We are delighted that London Golf Club is supporting KSS for a second year as part of its commitment to raising deserved funds for vital local charities. KSS was voted for by the golf club’s staff and will be at the forefront of their charity work for the next year.

London Golf Club is incredibly excited and proud to help keep KSS flying high and will continue to donate and fundraise to ensure these heroes can continue providing critical prehospital emergency care. To enquire about entering a team, please contact Julie Clare at corporate@aakss.org.uk

35 I Autumn 2021

Gift Aid

Did you know...?

If you are a UK taxpayer, every gift you make to Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) could be worth 25% more at no extra cost to you just by choosing to Gift Aid it? We are registered for the scheme so if you are a UK taxpayer the Government allows us to claim Gift Aid on your donations at a rate of 25p in the pound. So for every £1 you donate, we can claim a further 25p — increasing the value of every gift you give by 25%

What do I need to do? Simply confirm that you are a UK taxpayer and you want to Gift Aid your donation by completing a declaration – by phone, post or online at aakss.org.uk/gift-aid.

With this, we can claim Gift Aid on all gifts you make from now on, PLUS any donation that you have given us within the last four years — as long as you were a taxpayer at the time.

YOUR DONATION +

25%

At no extra cost to you

Above and Beyond | Issue 1

Articles inside

Kerry’s story

Events round-up

Noel’s story

Our people; behind the scenes at KSS

A day in the life of... KSS operations

Fabulous fundraising. Thank you to

Latest news

A collection box’s story

Our vision and values

A day in the life... KSS crew