Gift funds lifesaving equipment for air ambulances

The Air Ambulance Service will use the money to fund chest compression equipment

A donation of £15,000 has been made to help The Air Ambulance Service fund new chest compression equipment.

The gift from The Grace Trust will go towards a device for the service, which operates the national Children's Air Ambulance, the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance, and the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance

The trust is funded by donations from businesses and individuals.

Chloe Bass, legacies and in-memory manager for the air ambulance service, said: "They have supported our charity over the past 11 years, and without them our lifesaving missions wouldn’t have been possible."

'Vital equipment'

The Lucas equipment delivers uninterrupted and consistent chest compressions, and it eliminates the physical strain on someone performing CPR.

It will be the charity's third Lucas device, and a newer model than its existing equipment.

Chris Birch, trust liaison manager for The Grace Trust, said the machine would "enable crucial aid to patients who might not survive without such rapid intervention".

The air ambulances attend incidents including road accidents, sports events and emergencies such as cardiac arrests.

Ms Bass said: "This vital equipment will help to save more lives."