Cumbria marks 20 years of life-saving helicopter services by GNAAS

This milestone was reached after the first air ambulance, known as the 'Pride of Cumbria', was launched on August 7, 2004.

Historically, the aircraft only operated five days a week, with other helicopters, stationed in Blyth, Northumberland and Teesside, covering the remaining two days.

Helicopter flying over Cumbria (Image: Supplied)

Currently, the charity operates all year round across the region, keeping the same name for all Cumbrian aircraft.

The latest addition, the Pride of Cumbria II, started operating at the end of May 2021 from Langwathby, Penrith.

The high-performance capability of the new helicopter allows it to respond to consecutive incidents in Cumbria, Scotland and Northumberland before requiring refuelling.

This efficiency improves response times significantly, providing crucial extra minutes for life-saving interventions.

The GNAAS helicopter in 2006 (Image: Supplied)

Moreover, the charity launched their night-time rapid response vehicle service on the same weekend.

This service runs in Cumbria from 8pm to 8am on Fridays and Saturdays when the air ambulance does not fly.

The land vehicle, carrying the same life-saving equipment as the helicopter, is manned by a highly skilled paramedic and doctor team.

They can administer blood, anaesthetic procedures, and other advanced treatments to critically ill patients or those suffering injuries.

Efforts are on to fund additional night operations, with expansions already covering Thursday and Sunday.

Pride of Cumbria II (Image: Supplied)

There are plans to provide a 24/7 service in Cumbria later this year.

Lee Salmon, a local of Penrith, has experienced the charity's growth firsthand.

Initially a paramedic for GNAAS from 2005 to 2008, he moved to a managerial role in the NHS.

He returned to GNAAS in 2017 and currently serves as the head of operations for Cumbria and the Isle of Man.

Mr Salmon said: "Over the years I’ve seen a lot of changes in the charity. We’ve switched from a very basic small aircraft to a larger modern aircraft, and progressed from being a simple air ambulance transporting patients to having highly skilled doctors and paramedics on board who effectively bring the hospital to the patient.

"Due to the continued expansion of our service, in 2023 our critical care team experienced their busiest year on record after being deployed more than 2,200 times to incidents across the region, including 603 in Cumbria.

Helicopter at Rheged (Image: Supplied)

"We know that our service isn’t something that people want to use, but every business, resident and visitor to Cumbria can be reassured that our team will be there in their time of need.

"We are incredibly appreciative of the support we have received from the public over the years. Whether that’s by taking part in sponsored challenges, buying tickets for our raffle, or simply liking and sharing our posts on social media, it all helps.

“Hopefully with the public’s continued support we’ll be celebrating even more big anniversaries in the future."

Registered as a charity since 2002, GNAAS does not receive government funding.

To remain operational and continue helping critically ill or injured residents across North East, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and the Isle of Man, the charity has to raise about £8.5m annually.