SAWLEY WOMEN’S INSTITUTE

Sawley WI held the September meeting recently after the summer break.  President, Ann Burrows, welcomed members and visitors to the meeting and we caught up with the happenings since our last meeting in July.   We had had a damp social evening at the hall in early August and an even wetter outing to Hull later, which was a bit disappointing but we managed to get around the town and see places of interest to most people. Our speaker for the evening was a volunteer for the Air ambulance Service, who did a sterling job in telling us about the activities of this wonderful and dedicated group of men and women.   Our particular area covers Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northants and Warwickshire – an enormous area, yet served by only two helicopters, one based at East Midlands Airport and the other at Coventry Airport.  The service started in 1991, it has no financial support from either the Government or the Lottery, which is how they want it with no interference from outside bodies.   It is worth noting that the cost of a mission is £2,500 and to keep the service going in excess of £7 million is needed. Seeing slides of these helicopters makes you realise how small they are, with a pilot, two paramedics or flight doctors plus full life support medical equipment.   The response to a call-out is usually approximately 8 minutes. If a patient reaches hospital within the “Golden Hour” (60 minutes after their injury) their chances of survival are greatly increased.  This is why EM Air Ambulance is so vital.   The majority of responses are mainly to motor accidents, with the close proximity to the M1, M6, M42 etc.   Others can be people out of reach of a regular ambulance in situations in the Peak District, sometimes it can be horse riders.  When a casualty is in need of urgent help at a trauma unit the only ones in our area are QMC in Nottingham and Sheffield Hallam Hospital.   There is no helicopter pad for landing at QMC, but hopefully this will be rectified before too long.   This was such an interesting talk by John, the volunteer.  So every time you see the little yellow helicopter flying over this area think about the cost of this service, and the dedication of the teams. Our October meeting will be held at the WI Hall on Wilne Road, Sawley at 7.15 pm on the 10th.  Regulars and visitors are always welcome.