| Teddies are ideal for helping to reassure children who may need to use the services of the air ambulance |
Children who are flown in the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance can now cuddle teddy bears thanks to a donation from the Wessex Group.
The company, based in Shaftesbury, Dorset, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and each month is giving “50 somethings” to a good cause or charity.
The teddies are ideal for helping to reassure children who may need to use the services of the air ambulance, and they get to keep them afterwards.
Wessex Group’s sports and social club has two nominated charities it is supporting this year and the air ambulance is one of them, so it was the perfect choice for a donation.
Mike Wood, managing director of Wessex Building Services (WBS), and Jackie Baker who is chairman of the sports and social club, handed over the 50 teddies to air ambulance staff.
Each cute bear has a T-shirt stating: “Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, supported by the Wessex Group.”
Annette Plaistow-Trapaud, fundraising co-ordinator for the air ambulance, and paramedic Claire Baker, received the teddies at the base in Henstridge on the Dorset-Somerset border.
Annette said: “This is a wonderful donation and they will be extremely useful to help reassure young people.’’
“Being flown by air ambulance can sometimes be an anxious time for children and cuddling a bear can really help them.’’
“It’s a lovely gesture from the Wessex Group and I am sure the children will love them.”
The air ambulance is a charity that receives no direct government or lottery funding and relies solely on the generosity of the public to keep flying.
Its operational costs are £1.7 million a year which equates to over £2,500 per mission and it can attend up to nine incidents a day during the summer months.
Mike, from WBS, part of Wessex Group, said: “We are very pleased to be able to support the air ambulance, which does great work on a daily basis.
“It can be in any part of Dorset or Somerset within 20 minutes and is a truly life-saving service that we should all be grateful for.”
Jackie added: “The air ambulance and Shaftesbury Hospital are our two nominated charities this year and we hope the teddies will bring a few smiles and some reassurance.”
Wessex Group is a hardy collection of companies that installs and/or maintains electrics, heating, air conditioning, plumbing, renewable energy, commercial catering equipment and fire and security systems across the south.
So far this year it has provided 50 sensory toys for a charity for children with severe learning difficulties, planted 50 yards of snowdrops in Shaftesbury, supported 50 animals at a rescue centre, donated 50 promotional packs to a dyslexia support group, given 50 high-powered LED retrofit lamps to Gold Hill museum in Shaftesbury, supported 50 owls at a sanctuary and donated 50 teddies to the air ambulance.