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David Beckham and Prince William welcome state-of-the-art London air ambulances after £16 million fundraiser
1 October 2024, 19:57
London Air Ambulance's new helicopters are ready to take to the skies
David Beckham and Prince William have welcomed two state-of-the-art helicopters to the London Air Ambulance fleet - after a mammoth £16 million fundraising appeal supported by LBC listeners.
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The Prince of Wales and England legend celebrated London's Air Ambulance Charity renewing its fleet following a successful multimillion-pound fundraising appeal earlier today.
William is patron of the charity which launched its Up Against Time appeal to fund two new helicopters for its service.
David Beckham met the Prince at RAF Northolt in west London, where the two new helicopters were on display next to the aircraft they replaced.
London's Air Ambulance Charity was established in 1989 following a growing consensus of opinion that victims of serious accidents were dying because of the delay in expert medical help reaching them, and the time it took to transport patients to hospital.
The service pioneered the doctor-on-board model for air ambulances and aims to bring the hospital emergency department to the scene of an incident.
The upgrade of the air ambulances themselves means that the LAAC can confidently stride towards its goal of having saved the lives of 50,000 since it began operation.
Captain Sam Tompkins, one of the chief pilots of the London Air Ambulance, told LBC's Henry Riley: "It's a really pivotal day. The modernisation of our fleet is going to help us reach a lot more patients in a shorter amount of time.
"It's a really beneficial for the people of London. The footprint of the aircraft is very similar, so we can still land in the spaces that we have done before.
"But they bring a lot of safety benefits and benefits in terms of avionics that we can utilise to like to get to the patient quicker."
Jayne Clarke, director of fundraising and marketing for LAAC, told LBC: "It's incredibly important for London. Our two old helicopters are were reaching the end of their lives. They were off service an awful lot because they needed spare parts.
"They took longer to service and and we couldn't even get them serviced in the UK - so having these new brand new exciting helicopters online today is absolutely phenomenal."
Mark Smith, one of those who had been saved by the London Air Ambulances which were being replaced today, was present at the launch of the two new choppers.
Mark told Henry Riley: "The car came up onto the pavement where I was and hit me at 40 miles-per-hour and I went face-first through the windscreen.
"And then this arrived this very helicopter. It was the guys from this helicopter who not only scraped me off the road but got me up in the air and flew me to the London Hospital.
"There was also another moment on there where I left this world and they brought me back to life again on the helicopter itself.
"And I'm so proud to be able to have stood here today and and done anything to help these two wonderful new helicopters to keep in the air after looking after me in that one."
The Prince of Wales is patron of London's Air Ambulance Charity which runs the service and when he met crew members he joked "don't break it".
Former England captain David Beckham said: "We're here today to celebrate ... the success of the fundraiser for London's air ambulances which is something close to my heart and has been for a number of years.
"I'm an East End boy so every time we saw them in the air it made us very proud.
"As soon as I was asked to be involved by Prince William it was something I was very honoured (to do) in all honesty."
He added: "It's something that's been a part of London for a long long time, over 35 years of incredible work that the pilots do and the medics do, the millions of lives they've saved over the years is something I was very proud to be invited to be part of."
In August, William hailed the announcement the money had been raised, posting on X, formally Twitter: "Fantastic News! This is going to have a life-saving impact.
"A huge thank you to everyone who donated W."
Hollywood star Tom Cruise and Arsenal football club manager Mikel Arteta were among the guests at a gala fundraising dinner in February for the charity's appeal.
LBC explores the skies with London Air Ambulance's new helicopters
The prince, a former air ambulance pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance, attended the event and in a speech highlighted the urgency of the cause: "Here in London, the current aircraft have served magnificently.
"But our capital city needs a new fleet.
"And we are Up Against Time. The clue really is in the appeal's name. By September, we need the two new red birds - decked with the latest kit such as night vision - in our skies."
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Caller David pays tribute to London's Air Ambulance
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was extremely pleased by the news and thanked those involved.
He said: "I want to thank not just the Air Ambulance staff, the paramedics, but also the Prince of Wales, Prince William, and all those who have donated to purchase these two new ambulances.
"We know the difference they can make when you go to one of our four trauma hospitals that has a helipad. You see that on a daily basis the difference these helicopters make.
"I've spoken to trauma surgeons. I've met young Londoners whose lives have been saved as a consequence of the work of these helicopters. We celebrate two new helicopters joining our fleet. We hope they never need to be used.
"Unfortunately, they will need to be used and there will be lives saved going forward because of these two helicopters and because of the generosity of those who have donated towards them."
