London Gatwick Airport staff present Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex with cheque for nearly £30,000 following fundraising efforts

Colleagues from London Gatwick Airport visited Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) last week to present a cheque for £29,328, raised by airport staff and passengers through fundraising initiatives over the past year.

Gatwick took part in a range of activities to raise vital funds for KSS – one of the airport’s official charity partners – including the Run Gatwick half-marathon, FIFA World Cup sweepstakes and a Heli Hike fundraiser.

The latter was supported by Gatwick Fire and Rescue Service in September, when 16 members of Red Watch and Green Watch hiked the 7.5-mile route in full firefighting kit. The fundraiser was aimed at providing KSS paramedics with protective footwear - an essential piece of kit in the varied terrain in which they are saving lives.

The money raised by Gatwick Airport could also help fund aviation fuel to support more than 100 helicopter missions, purchase more than 300 boxes of tubing for the charity’s ventilator - helping patients to breathe when they have been anaesthetised or buy 750 'nose balloons' to stop bleeding when a patient has fractured their face.

Lee Braidwood, Red Watch Fire Fighter, Gatwick Airport Fire and Rescue Service said: “KSS means a lot to me, the men and women that turn up in the Air Ambulances are true heroes. When someone is in a life-threatening situation where they need urgent medical care, these crews suddenly appear out of the sky and provide that immediate critical care.

“Gatwick Fire Service works closely with the Air Ambulance on medical calls we attend, so we thought we would give something back and support them by raising money with Heli Hike.”

Alex Redwood, Head of Corporate Development, Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex said: “2022 was the busiest year in our 33-year history. We responded to 3,224 incidents across our communities - a 6% year-on-year increase from 2021.

“We can only continue to save lives and innovate our service to meet greater demand for our life-saving work, with the support of long-term partners such as Gatwick Airport.

“Our partnership means we can continue to provide the best possible outcomes for patients in our shared local community. Thank you Gatwick Airport for supporting your local Air Ambulance.”

Alongside fundraising efforts, Gatwick Airport has also supported KSS through sponsorship of events, including Hound Hike 100 - a sponsored dog walk which invited people to cover a total of 100km or 100 miles with their pets throughout April 2022, raising £17,000 - and Run 31, a challenge which encouraged people to gain sponsorship by running 31 miles across the 31 days in January.

Supporting local charities forms part of Gatwick Airport’s sustainability policy – Decade of Change – and since 2015, the airport has raised more than £1million for its official charity partners.

Gatwick is investing in its long-term future and is preparing a planning application to bring the airport’s Northern Runway into regular use, for departures only, alongside its Main Runway. This low impact plan will improve resilience, reduce delays, and provide a significant boost to the national and regional economy by supporting trade, tourism and new jobs.