On the evening of May 12th Llangunllo WI held their monthly meeting in the village hall opening it to other WIs, and the village, to listen to a presentation about the Air Ambulance Service, something very close to the hearts of those living in this area and beyond in Powys.
The presentation provided by Oliver and Lewes was excellent and very informative. They explained how the service has developed, over the years, flying 3,665 missions in 2025 and a total of 57,141 and rising since its inception in 2001.
They gave a detailed insight into the four helicopters that are in service, the considerable equipment they carry, the level of expertise of the medical crew and pilots, as well as the fleet of rapid response vehicles also used. The pair explained the four stages of the patient journey from dispatch, critical care, decision making and the aftercare service provided, much of which we were unaware of.
We heard that the service is a trail blazer in providing specialised medical care from consultants and critical care practitioners supplied by EMRTS Cymru, part of NHS Wales and how the service has saved many lives as they are able to to carry out medical procedures which would normally only be available within a hospital setting. This unique Third and Private Sector partnerships has enabled the service to become one of the most advanced air ambulance operations in Europe.
As the Welsh Air Ambulance is an all Wales Charity, which relies heavily on donations, Oliver and Lewes gave an insight into how the funding they receive is used, along with the staggering amount, 13 million, that it will cost to keep the service operational this year. Both Oliver and Lewes readily answered all the questions from the audience including those about the concerns relating to the plans to close the base at Welshpool.
All those present felt they had a much better understanding of the service and continued to discuss it over the refreshments which finished off the evening.
Anne Newton
For more information about our WI please contact Isabel Morris on 01547 550689
Words: Anne Newton Photographs: Michael Brown
Discover more from Llangunllo
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.