Bristol school raises funds for local charity

Local School of Christ the King Catholic Primary based in Bristol recently raised a fantastic £449.00 for the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC).

Christ the King supported GWAAC by carrying out a variety of activities, such as a penny trail, film night and ‘guess the name’ competition, as part of their Lent fundraising. The charity’s mascot, Charlie Bear, also made a special trip to the school to tell them all about GWAAC’s life-saving work.

GWAAC provide the Critical Care and air ambulance service for 2.1 million people across the counties of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, North Somerset and surrounding areas. Their crew attend the most critical incidents across the region by helicopter or by one of their two critical care cars.

Matt Condon, Headmaster of Christ the King said: “At Christ the King we always have a number of charities we support each year, and this year it was great to support and learn about the work of GWAAC. The children learnt all about their amazing work and on the second visit they had a real treat when they met Charlie Bear! Not only did Charlie teach them more about the GWAAC's work, he also shared a few of his dance moves...!”

Ian Cantoni, Community Fundraising Coordinator at GWAAC said: “It's been a real pleasure working with everyone at Christ the King School. The children's enthusiasm has been so infectious, and they worked so hard to raise an incredible amount for GWAAC. We really can't thank them enough for supporting us. I'm told Charlie Bear really enjoyed his visit, and will continue to work on his 'flossing' and 'dabbing' for next time!”

The GWAAC Critical Care team consists of a highly trained and experienced Pilot, Critical Care Paramedic and Critical Care Doctor. From emergency blood transfusions to roadside amputations or treating cardiac arrests, their crew specialise in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine and Trauma Medicine, bringing the skills and expertise of an Accident and Emergency Department to the patient. In 2017 the Critical Care Team attended 1,824 jobs, 755 of which were in Bristol alone. Every penny that is raised to support GWAAC is always received with the utmost appreciation and gratitude. When the donations come from schoolchildren as young as this, GWAAC is simply inspired by the selflessness and dedication of our local young community, and it should be applauded. So a huge thank you to the primary school kids at the School of Christ the King.

ENDS

Notes for editors

• GWAAC provide the critical care and air ambulance service for 2.1 million people across the counties of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, North Somerset and surrounding areas.
• In 2018 the charity celebrates ten years since its first flight.
• The GWAAC critical care team consists of a highly trained and experienced Critical Care Paramedic and Doctor, who bring the skill and expertise of an Accident and Emergency Department to the patient.
• In 2017 the Critical Care Team attended 1,824 jobs: by helicopter and by one of our critical care cars.
• We need to raise over £3 million each year to stay operational, but receive no day to day funding from the Government or National Lottery.
• Photo Charlie our Critical Care Bear, children and teacher Dee Higgins.

For further information, contact:

Lucy Munn

PR & Digital Communications Coordinator

07484 906493

lucy.munn@gwaac.com

www.greatwesternairambulance.com

@GWAAC