Hello
Adam Smith, Chief Unit Pilot
Welcome to our HELi2 Christmas edition of Airtime, as together, we can make that final push to bring your second helicopter to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Watch our brand new festive animation (see below), which shows how our elves are working hard to double your donation this Christmas.
It has been exceptionally busy this year, having had some of our busiest months on record, and that doesn’t stop over Christmas. December is always a busy month for the crew, with families visiting each other and more people on our roads, I take great pride in being able to help communities during the festive period. This shows how important our HELi2 appeal really is, which will allow us to improve our operational availability – and help save even more lives.
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Help us ‘sing it, sing it home’ this Christmas
Watch our festive animation as a young boy writes to Santa, asking for a lifesaving gift for Christmas.
Our new magical story sees a young boy write a letter to Father Christmas, asking for a second helicopter so that Cornwall Air Ambulance can save more lives like his Mum’s.
As the letter sets off at midnight on Christmas Eve, it travels through Cornish towns and villages, as communities help to sing it on its way across iconic landmarks, before eventually arriving in the North Pole. The elves get to work to build the second helicopter in their workshop, but will they finish it and ‘sing it home’ in time for Christmas?
Of course, no Christmas story would be complete without a signature soundtrack. Our foot-tapping shanty song ‘Sing it Home’, recorded by hundreds of artists from across our county, helps to make this a ‘must see’ animation this year.
The countdown is on to bring home your second lifesaving helicopter
With your help to raise the remaining funds, your second helicopter will be operational by Spring next year. As we push to reach the remainder of our £2.85million HELi2 Appeal target, here’s a little reminder as to why it’s so important…
What kind of a difference will it make?
Owning an additional AW169 aircraft will help increase our capacity to deliver our critical care service by air for 19 hours a day, 365 days a year, whenever the Cornish weather allows.
As our mission numbers and flying hours increase, so does the wear-and-tear on your helicopter. More time in use means parts need checking or servicing sooner, therefore we must go ‘offline’ and instead respond by road on the Rapid Response Vehicles, or during base maintenance we can lease a smaller back-up helicopter. Owning a second advanced-specification AW169 will mean that during any period of maintenance, whether planned or unplanned, we will have a highly capable helicopter ready and available to use, boosting our capability, versatility and resilience.
About the AW169
The AW169 is a great aircraft for the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) that we provide. It has large weight and fuel capabilities, allowing the crew to carry all their specialist equipment, as well as respond to back-to-back missions and convey the patient further afield to the best suited hospital for their onward care – such as Bristol for critically ill children.
It has plenty of space in the cabin, not only for the crew and their kit, but it also gives the clinical team almost 360-degree access to the patient. Importantly – and with some of the most advanced navigation capabilities in the industry – the AW169 is also cleared for being flown at night for HEMS operations, meaning the crew can respond to missions by air in the hours of darkness.
Your second AW169 will also have an enhanced performance package, known as a Phase 8 upgrade. That means the aircraft will be capable of faster speeds, it will have an onboard weather radar, an updated flight sensor and extra storage space for medical equipment.
Your additional aircraft will fly the same number of hours as your existing AW169, as we will be regularly switching between the two. This will limit the amount of wear and tear caused to each helicopter and will keep both in regular use. That means we will consistently have a high-spec, advanced aircraft ready to respond to missions no matter the time of day (unless there are weather limitations of course). Owning two AW169 helicopters will mean we can provide the very best critical care service, on all missions, to every patient who we attend.
Why we need you
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported the HELi2 Appeal so far, and as we head into Christmas and the new year, now is the time to get involved. We cannot do this without you.
Give the gift of saving lives this Christmas
Shop locally and buy pre-loved
Looking for Christmas shopping inspiration? Why not visit one of our six charity shops across Cornwall to grab those festive bargains. Not only will you be shopping locally and sustainably, but each purchase you make will help to keep your helicopter flying. You can find our shops in Newquay, St Austell, Bodmin, Wadebridge, Camborne and Helston.
Become a #HELi2 Hero
This is your last chance to become a #HELi2 Hero. For £100, you can have your name, the name of a loved one or community group, featured in the chevrons on the base of your second helicopter. This means that they’ll be flying high alongside your crew on every HELi2 mission for years to come. This could be the perfect present for your loved one this Christmas. You have until 31st December to become a #HELi2 Hero.
Buy your charity album
This Christmas, we’re bringing the community together through music to help sing home your second lifesaving helicopter.
Named after its title sea shanty track, our ‘Sing it Home’ album is all about celebrating the arrival of the additional AW169 aircraft. Available as a CD for £7 and digital download for £5, the compilation album features a range of Cornish musicians who are singing to save lives – some with a personal connection to the charity.
One of the singers is our very own Critical Care Paramedic, Jeremy Griffiths, as part of his shanty group Falmouth Shout.
Other artists featured include The Oggymen, Kana, Falmouth Shout, Tom Cary, Shane Solomon, The Stowes, Barrett’s Privateers, the Boscastle Buoys and former patient Lottee Brown.
I wouldn’t be here without them... so I am very grateful and thankful for their services.
What started out as a normal walk on the coast with his twin brother last summer ended up as a life-threatening situation for teenager Lewie Cole, when he fell 15ft from a clifftop in Bude.
15-year-old Lewie had landed in a secluded cove, trapped in an inaccessible location.
Cornwall Air Ambulance was tasked as part of a large multi-agency response, with Critical Care Paramedics Steve Garvey and Pete Storer, and Pilot Liv Milles, on board your AW169 helicopter.
Both an RNLI lifeboat and the Coastguard Search & Rescue helicopter carried out searches on and above the water. Eventually when Lewie was found, he was winched to safety in a complex operation.
Having been in the water for around 50 minutes, Lewie was cold, wet, hypothermic and drifting in and out of consciousness. Steve and Pete were able to stabilise Lewie before conveying him to Derriford Hospital for urgent onward care.
Lewie had suffered a host of traumatic injuries including to the plates in his back and his neck. He shattered his pelvis, had a punctured lung, a severed artery, he lost half a kidney, damaged other organs and suffered numerous other broken bones.
He spent a total of six weeks in hospital, and it has been a long recovery process.
“They saved my life”, said Lewie. “I wouldn’t be here without them or without my brother Logan, so I am very grateful and thankful for their services. I always donate in the Cornwall Air Ambulance pots.”
A year later, Lewie has been to visit the airbase to thank Steve and Pete for saving his life. He and his twin brother Logan have both become HELi2 Heroes, and will have their names added to your second helicopter.
You can help to make a lifesaving difference for more patients like Lewie by becoming a #HELi2 Hero.
Remarkable people doing remarkable things
We would like to say a huge thank you to you, our wonderful supporters, who have so kindly joined the HELi2 mission this year.
From the people taking on creative and personal challenges, to those holding events, jumping out of planes, and those putting spare change in our charity jars, we cannot do this without you.
We’re your charity, here for the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Thank you for supporting the HELi2 Appeal and helping us move towards a future of saving even more lives. Now is the time.
Could you make a lifesaving start to 2025?
- Hold a fundraising event
Whether it’s a cake sale, a bingo night, a dance-athon, a quiz evening, or anything else that you can dream up, holding an event is a great way to bring people together and have fun with your friends or local community, as well as raising vital funds.
- Take on a challenge
Maybe you want to set your own, or take part in one of our organised challenge events, either way – taking on a challenge is a great way to set personal goals as well as raising money. Whether you’re an adrenaline enthusiast, a fitness fanatic, or simply looking for a unique way to give back, the possibilities are endless.
- Fund a Mission
Did you know the average cost of a lifesaving mission by
air is £5000? If you’d like to raise enough to fund one of our helicopter missions, you’ll receive a special plaque and certificate, plus you’ll be featured on our website as our way of saying thank you!
- Schools for HELi2
A new year and a new term mean it’s time for some new creativity. What better way to go back to school than with some fresh ideas on how your class can help to bring your second helicopter home. Why not hold a non-uniform day and wear red to show support for your critical care crew, and make a small donation.
- Get your workplace involved
There are so many ways your workplace can get involved in raising vital funds for the HELi2 Appeal; from nominating us as your charity partner for 2025 and organising fun and engaging fundraising activities, taking on a bucket-list challenge with your colleagues, to becoming a sponsor for our flagship event, Helifest. We’d love to hear from you and look at ways we can help support your workplace too!
Help us ‘sing it, sing it home’ this Christmas
Our elves are working hard to double your donation this Christmas. For every £1 you donate, they will use their festive magic (thanks to some generous supporters) to make it £2.
We need you now, more than ever, to help bring your second helicopter home to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Every donation, however big or small, will help save lives for many more Christmases to come.
Any donation you are able to make this festive season will be doubled, thanks to generous match funders.Full T&Cs at the base of this page.
If you are able to support us with a generous donation, it will only be doubled up to the end of December. Thank you!
Your donation will be doubled this Christmas
