Fundraiser secures £270k for a community 100 miles away

Mr McLellan was struck by the challenges facing the air ambulance trying to land in Campbeltown

When he was growing up Stuart McLellan would watch the air ambulance land in the field beside his aunt and uncle's house next to Campbeltown Hospital.

During family visits he would often hear the helicopter's grumbling engine as it flew low over the conservatory.

But he also remembered water-logged, muddy ground conditions on the field which often made patient transfers difficult.

Despite living 100 mile drive away in Neilston, East Renfrewshire, he wanted to help.

Campbeltown Hospital often has to send patients to other hospitals across Scotland to receive specialist treatment or emergency care.

But if the weather is poor, the helicopters can be forced to use Campbeltown Airport, which takes longer.

In 2018, Mr McLellan began fundraising for a dedicated hospital helipad to serve Campbeltown after he heard from locals that attempts to kickstart the project had failed.

Two years later he has all the funding in place, a total of £270,000, for the helipad to be built on the field beside Campbeltown Hospital.

When the field is too muddy, the helicopter has to divert to Campbeltown airport

Mr McLellan submitted his case to the County Air Ambulance Trust's Help Appeal, an initiative which invests in life-saving helipads throughout the UK.

The organisation agreed to fund the project in full but he also had to have a feasibility study done by the Civil Aviation Authority to check his plan was possible.

He says the plans have now been submitted to Argyll and Bute Council and NHS Highland is working alongside him in the development of the helipad.

Speaking on BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, he said: "You can imagine the weather in the west of Scotland, how many times the helicopter faces challenges trying to land at Campbeltown Hospital, especially in times of need.

"If a patient is time-critical and you have to get them out of there, the weather can unfortunately can sometimes put a burden on that.

"I thought: 'Oh, I will give it a shot', you know just in the event any of my family or the local people of Campbeltown need an air ambulance so I put a business case together," he said.

Mr McLellan has fought for the helipad for two years

Mr McLellan said the local community were behind a campaign to raise funds for the ongoing maintenance of the helipad once it was up and running.

The South Kintyre Development Trust will be responsible for managing the helipad once it is built.

"We are hoping the planning is back before this side of the year and after Christmas, in the New Year the contractors will be go in and it'll take maybe two months to get it constructed and fully operational," he explained.

Mr McLellan said the helipad could be operational by early 2021 and that he hoped it would mean quicker care for any local patients in Campbeltown who should need it.