Air ambulance services in the United Kingdom

we set out to do it we knew we had to tackle quality we had to make it local and we had to make it have an impact and we launched the first bags back in april with some writing on the back said we support field sports charities we'll give them 12 and in the background we were hassling and lobbying four of them on board so far, of the largest organisations that matter to rural life.

GWCT, the Gamekeepers Welfare Trust, the Air Ambulance and the Moorland Association.

The guys that got it first were the Moorland Association.

They understood that the tea and coffee industry was entirely transferable to any community way beyond hedges and every bag was an opportunity to educate people with a short message and to tell their story so for the moorland association we've launched glorious which is a blend that changes every six months we then had the air ambulance came on board which is where high birds comes in from our coffee We then had the GWCT come on board who are a huge organization working to improve both ground and birds and other habitats.

It's all about the betterment of the countryside for both those that use it every day or maybe enjoy it occasionally.

And then we had finally the Gamekeepers Welfare Trust that have come on board with both barrels.

I'm Scott Hamilton.

And today my guest, Mike McGrath, is Chief Executive Officer at Air Ambulances UK.

But before that, what feels like many years ago, but probably isn't that long ago [laughs], Mike and I crossed paths during his tenure at NSPCC.

Mike, welcome to The Third Half.

But equally, um, a lot of people mistakenly presume that I'm in charge of all of the helicopters, but I'm not.

[laughs]

Um, [laughs] so, um, Air Ambulances UK is, uh, inhabits a wonderful space in the fact that we are the sector representative body.

Um, so we represent, serve, and support the 21 air ambulance charities that service every community in the UK.

Right.

Unlike the Air Ambulance, the Air Ambulance is amazing.

Everybody thinks the Air Ambulance will probably respond to 10 emergencies a day in each area.

And they are truly amazing.

Whenever they turn up to my jobs, and I had them on a job on Monday, You get a doctor and a specialist paramedic on a job, you know that person's getting the hospital by their bed.