Cooke & Arkwright
News
Air-aid
08/03/07
Wales Air Ambulance has opened a new charitable shop in Abergavenny acquired by Cooke & Arkwright, as part of its strategic network expansion in support of the service. Rugby legend, Gareth Edwards CBE, performed the official opening and said he was happy to help. “Wales Air Ambulance is a critical and necessary facility that we are fortunate to have. It can make the difference between life and death,” he said.
Wales Air Ambulance (WAA) is a Charitable Trust and provides a vital service that relies entirely upon charitable donations to keep its fleet of three helicopters in the air. More than six thousand five hundred rescue missions have been carried out since the service was launched in 2001.
Allan Devonald, property manager for WAA, said that the opening of their twelfth charitable shop was an important step in its expansion. “We are delighted that Gareth Edwards was able to perform the opening ceremony,” he said. “This is a significant area of operation for the service and the helicopters will be a familiar sight locally. We look forward to receiving a good level of support here.”
William Lloyd Davies of Cooke & Arkwright said he was looking for further suitable sites throughout Wales. Having witnessed the effectiveness of WAA at first hand when an accident occurred close to his parent’s home in a remote part of Wales, Mr Davies has now pledged to compete in a long distance assault course event on behalf of the charity this summer.
The unique geography of the Principality, with many isolated areas far from Accident & Emergency facilities, means that road ambulances often have to negotiate miles of winding country lanes to reach the scene of an accident or a critically ill person. WAA can get a team of paramedics and helicopter, or helimed, to any accident across the nation within 15 minutes.
The Trust has offices in Swansea and Wrexham. The first helicopter was launched in Swansea, in March 2001, and it was quickly followed by a base in Caernarfon to cover the North, and since January 1st this year, a third helicopter is now based in Welshpool to cover Mid Wales. The four ambulance controls are located in Llanfairfechan, Pontypool, Church Village and Carmarthen.
Pictured l to r: William Lloyd Davies, WAA shop manager Michelle Marshall; Allan Devonald and Gareth Edwards.