Air ambulance launches appeal after £1.1m deficit

An air ambulance charity has launched an appeal for public support after reporting a £1.1m deficit in its latest annual report.

Devon Air Ambulance attended more than 2,100 emergencies last year but rising operating costs and reduced legacy income had left it spending more than it receives, according to the charity.

A spokesperson said there was no immediate threat to front-line services but a further deficit had been forecast for next year despite measures expected to save about £400,000 annually.

"We are determined to protect front-line patient care, but we cannot do this alone," said director of corporate services Dave Hawes.

The charity, which receives no direct government funding for its day-to-day operations, said it was the second deficit it had recorded in recent years.

Devon Air Ambulance reported a gap of more than £2m in 2023, before higher legacy income helped it return a surplus in 2024.

Planned savings include cost-cutting measures and a review of its organisational structure, although the charity said these would not fully close the projected shortfall.

Hawes said the report highlighted both the impact of the service and the financial pressures facing charities.

"The cost of delivering our service continues to rise, while income is becoming increasingly challenging and unpredictable," he said.

Head of operations Tania Martin said there would be no impact on services.

"A million pounds sounds quite scary, but I don't want to create alarm," she said.

"We're not in a position where we're about to close overnight. We're not impacting services in any way at all at the moment."

Martin said the charity's financial position had become increasingly difficult since Covid, with rising costs and fuel prices contributing.

According to Martin, the charity spent £177,000 on fuel last year - a figure it predicts could rise to as much as £384,000 this year.

Ollie Marks, from Whimple, was rescued by the charity in November last year.

Tim Nutbeam, one of the charity's critical care doctors, said he had been "crushed under a very heavy gate and pushed into a dip which saved some of his injuries".

He explained his team, which had been returning from another casualty at the time, managed to assess Marks at the scene before taking him to hospital for further treatment.

Marks has since gone on to raise funds for and awareness of the service.

"You never know when you're going to need it," said Marks.

"It's a bit like an insurance policy - at some point you or your loved one may need the care of this wonderful team."

He added: "We're very lucky to have [the service] especially in the county we live in, it's not easy to get medical care within a quick time frame.

"You're buying into that charity work where they can get to you in a short space of time."

Dr Nutbeam added: "By taking our specialist skill set to the patient we can stop bleeding early, we can provide airway and ventilatory support and we can stop that process for the injury causing further damage.

"We all know what Devon's roads are like, we all know it takes some time and by using the helicopter we can get them to the right place, first time."

The charity has launched a Keep Us Flying campaign to encourage donations and help secure the service's future.

Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.