London’s Air Ambulance, the charity that delivers an advanced trauma team to critically injured people in London, treated 1806 patients in 2014. The charity has today released its mission statistics for 2014 in a bid to raise awareness and reach out for vital funding towards a second helicopter and to extend its daylight flying hours.

Graham Hodgkin, CEO of London’s Air Ambulance, said: “While our statistics show that we were busier in some areas of London than others, trauma can happen to anyone, anywhere at any time. Trauma doesn’t have a postcode and neither do we. By releasing these statistics today we are hoping to raise awareness of that fact and that the charity is here to serve everyone in London.

“We are currently raising money for a vital second helicopter and to extend our daylight flying hours through the Your London, Your Helicopter campaign and we need people to get behind this biggest fundraising drive to date. In Hillingdon there is a population of 275,500. If all those people were able to donate just £5 we would be £1,377,500 closer to getting the second helicopter in the air. Please Text HELICOPTER to 70800 to donate £5 now or visit yourhelicopter.london.”

John McDonnell MP for Hillingdon and Hayes said: “In West London our roads can easily become gridlocked and so the ability to call upon the air ambulance can mean the difference between life and death. That’s why a second helicopter is vitally needed.”

London’s Air Ambulance is calling on the people and organisations of London to join together in owning the solution to London’s vital need for a second emergency medical helicopter. In its largest ever fundraising drive, the ‘Your London, Your Helicopter’ campaign is hoping to raise the remaining £4.4 million needed to acquire and sustain a second helicopter and extend its daylight flying hours for five years. The charity is urging the 10 million people who live, work and holiday in the capital to donate, whether £5 or £500 at yourhelicopter.london or Text HELICOPTER to 70800 to donate £5 now.

London’s Air Ambulance delivers an advanced trauma team to critically injured people in London 24/7, using a helicopter by day and rapid response cars at night or in adverse weather conditions. In 2014 the London’s Air Ambulance helicopter was offline for maintenance for 55 days in total. Through the acquisition of a second helicopter and by extending our daylight flying hours in the summer months, we will be able to reach an estimated 400 more patients per year by aircraft. By having a helicopter available at all times, it will also give London greater resilience during major incidents.

The total cost of acquiring and sustaining a second helicopter, and extending daylight flying hours over five years is £6 million. Last year the charity was awarded £1million from the LIBOR fund by Chancellor George Osborne and a further £600,000 has been raised from companies, charitable trusts and individual donors. The ‘Your London, Your Helicopter’ campaign hopes to raise the remaining £4.4 million from the people and organisations of London by July this year. The charity hopes to be in a position to have a second helicopter operational by summer 2015.