Marking its 25th year of saving lives, Essex & Herts Air Ambulance says ‘thank you’

This year marks a milestone for Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) as it celebrates 25 years of saving lives, and to show its appreciation a massive ‘Thank-a Thon’ took place today (11^th July).

The entire EHAAT ‘family’ representing all areas of the charity, from fundraising to clinical and operations, as well as the Exec Team, Trustees and volunteers, took to the phones to call supporters just to say, ‘thank you’.

Manning the phones from three call centres based across the air ambulance’s offices and airbases, the ‘Thank-a-Thon proved to be a fun day for all involved.

The critical care crew kickstarted the ‘Thank-a-Thon’ with a surprise call to ex-patient, Peter Morris.

A film of the call made by EHAAT’s clinical team to Peter and Jackie Morris can be viewed here

Peter and his wife Jackie have become loyal supporters of the charity since he was treated after a cardiac arrest at work in November 2020. Not only did they nominate their bystander – who administered CPR – for a Royal Humane Award, they opened the Letchworth charity shop, spoke at a Trustee event and have kindly made personal donations to EHAAT.

In addition to calling Peter, a selection of ex-patients, who have shared their stories and supported the charity in many different ways were also thanked. But obviously it’s the many thousands of supporters who play the ‘Flight for Life Lottery’, fundraise, take part in events and generally support the charity in many different ways, who were thanked today… every single person makes a difference.

Jane Gurney, CEO of EHAAT, said, “The team and I are grateful to everyone that has supported us over the years – we honestly couldn’t fly without them. Without access to the National Lottery funding and with limited support from the Government, we rely heavily upon the generosity and goodwill of the people of Essex, Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas. The opportunity for myself and the whole team to say ‘thank you’, either in person on the phone, or through our social media channels, is just a small way of showing our gratitude and appreciation.

“It is a real privilege to have led Essex & Herts Air Ambulance through so many milestones over the years, and to work alongside our amazing supporters, our dedicated staff and volunteers, and our highly skilled critical care teams. However, it goes without saying our patients and their families are the ones who truly inspire me and my team the most, to continue to deliver our life saving service today and into the future.”

The ‘Thank-a-Thon’ is part of a summer of celebrations taking place to mark the milestone year. As well as team and volunteer events, there is also a special 25-year Summer Raffle, where one lucky person will win £5,000.