Eastnor Castle announces Midlands Air Ambulance as its Charity of the Year 2019.
Eastnor Castle, near Ledbury, has announced that its Charity of the Year 2019 will be the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.
Eastnor Castle runs an annual Charity of the Year programme where it pledges to support a local charity in a number of ways to include the use of the castle for a fundraising dinner, the use of the grounds for a family fun day, complimentary tickets, collection boxes at the visitor entrance and an open invitation to be present on any day they are open to visitors.
The team at Eastnor Castle were keen to support the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity after meeting them at their Eastnor SOS Day in June and hearing of the critical work they do throughout six Midlands counties, including Herefordshire.
David Littlewood, General Manager at Eastnor Castle, went to meet some of the Midlands Air Ambulance Team based at their Strensham airbase to see first-hand how donations from local businesses support the service they offer. He said:
“We are thrilled to able to support the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity this year. We are in awe of the work that they do and had no idea that the charity receives no Government or National Lottery funding and relies solely on donations and fundraising. They need to raise in excess of £9 million each year to operate and we hope that we’re not only able to contribute in some way towards this, but that we can also help to raise their profile amongst our visitors. We’ve already met with the team and are excited about working together on a number of events throughout the year.”
Mary Seldon, Fundraising Executive for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity in Herefordshire adds: “Midlands Air Ambulance Charity relies solely on donations from local businesses and the general public, to undertake around 2,000 air ambulance missions every year.
“We’re so grateful to Eastnor Castle for choosing to support us this year, as it will help to raise vital funds and awareness in the local area. We’re really excited to partner with such a stunning visitor attraction.”
Details of the events being arranged at Eastnor Castle by the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity are still being finalised but will be announced soon.
Photograph: David Littlewood, General Manager at Eastnor Castle (3rd from left) is pictured meeting Dr David Balthazar, Pilot Tim Hutchins and Critical Care Paramedic Colin Apps.