THOSE who volunteer for Wiltshire Air Ambulance (WAA) are encouraging others to join in a campaign running during National Volunteers’ Week.

Posters of seven volunteers have been created and every day during the week  - from Monday, June 1 to Sunday, June 7 - each volunteer will be featured on the WAA Facebook Volunteer Page at www.facebook.com/waavolunteer

Volunteers include a former patient, a retired military pilot and working people.

The campaign is called ‘Be A Hero – Volunteer, Join Our Team On The Ground.’

One Jan Lynch, 48, of Pewsey, has been a volunteer with WAA for about 16 months and features in the campaign.

She said: “I would say to people thinking of becoming a volunteer – just come along and do one thing and you will become hooked. There’s such a variety and there will be something you can do.”

Jemma Brown, WAA’s Volunteer Manager, said: “Our volunteers are great people and we couldn’t do what we do without them. They are our heroes and we are celebrating that during National Volunteers’ Week.

"Volunteers are crucial to Wiltshire Air Ambulance, as they enable the charity to undertake activities in the community that would otherwise cost considerable amounts of time and money.

“They are our ambassadors spreading awareness about what we do and we would like more volunteers to represent us at community events, including bucket collections, giving talks and attending cheque presentations.

“What we look for in volunteers is enthusiasm and a passion for what we do - in return we offer induction, training and lots of support. If you are interested please get in touch with us to find out more.”

WAA has 70 active volunteers and would like to increase the number to 100 by the end of the year. The charity is seeking ten volunteers for its new education programme working with schools and colleges.

The campaign culminates in an event on Saturday, June 6, at the Operations Centre, Devizes, from 10am to 12.30pm for existing volunteers and people interested in becoming volunteers.

At the event existing volunteers will be there to chat to and WAA Critical Care Paramedics will talk about the medical equipment onboard the helicopter.

If you are interested in attending or becoming a volunteer please email jemma@wiltshireairambulance.co.uk or call 01380 739453.

Wiltshire Times:

  • Air ambulance staff and volunteers with the charity's Bell 429 at its hanger in Devizes