Wiltshire Air Ambulance shortlisted for industry awards

Long-serving chairman Chris Lear has been named in the Trustee of the Year shortlist, while the charity has been jointly recognised in the Special Incident of the Year award alongside Great Western Air Ambulance and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

Lear has served on the board of trustees since the charity’s formation as an independent air ambulance service in 2011.

He took on the role of chair in April 2016 and will step down at the end of September 2023, after completing the maximum term a trustee can serve, 12 years.

Chris has been an exemplary representative of Wiltshire Air Ambulance throughout this time, which included the move to the charity’s purpose-built airbase in Semington.

The Special Incident of the Year Award shortlisting is for a multi-vehicle road traffic collision which took place in December 2022.

There were eight patients in total, which required intervention from Wiltshire Air Ambulance, Great Western Air Ambulance and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

In total eleven HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) crew attended the scene from four resources (two helicopters, two critical care cars).

Wiltshire Air Ambulance's aircrew was pilot Fin Collins, critical care doctor Reuben Cooper and critical care paramedic Dan Tucker. They helped land assist one of the patients to Southmead Hospital. 

The AAUK Awards of Excellence will take place on Thursday 30 November at Reading FC’s Select Car Leasing Stadium, presented by Sky Sports broadcaster Hayley McQueen. It will be preceded by the AAUK Conference, which will include a wide range of speakers covering various industry areas and topics.

AAUK chief executive Simmy Akhtar said: “Congratulations to all those who have been chosen as finalists for the Air Ambulances UK Awards of Excellence 2023.

“All nominees are extremely talented and our judging panel had the unenviable task of finalising the shortlist for all categories.

“We are extremely excited to welcome colleagues and peers to the awards ceremony and look forward to bringing our air ambulance community together at our annual conference and awards on 30 November.”