Air ambulance service for Bucks expanding aftercare provision thanks to generous gift

Buckinghamshire's air ambulance service is expanding its aftercare team, thanks to a generous gift from a local benefactor.

Thames Valley Air Ambulance has received a donation of £100,000 a year for five years from Sir Howard and Lady Stringer, enabling it to bring forward its plans for developing aftercare.

Lady Stringer was moved to help after hearing about the value aftercare support can bring to people who have been through life-changing events.

Her gift has allowed the charity to hire a new patient liaison manager, Lorraine Bint, with another team member joining later this year.

Lorraine, who joined the charity late last year, was a paramedic in London for over 20 years.

On leaving the ambulance service, Lorraine volunteered at a local hospice and this experience inspired her to retrain.

She is now a qualified counsellor with a special interest in bereavement, grief, and loss.

Head of aftercare Adam Crosby said: “Thames Valley Air Ambulance was one of the first air ambulances in the country to introduce a patient liaison service and we are incredibly grateful that we can now expand our team.

"The service has proved invaluable to so many in our community and we have big plans for how to help more people – former patients, their families and even bystanders.

“When you have been through a life-changing incident, or witnessed someone you love in that situation, it can leave you feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed.

"This generous gift means we will be able to reach out to more people and offer a lifeline when their whole world has been turned upside down.”

Lady Stringer said: “Like everyone in the local area, I am so thankful for the lifesaving critical care that Thames Valley Air Ambulance crews bring to our region.

"Despite the challenges they have faced during the pandemic, they have continued to be there for patients when the worst happens.

“Since becoming involved with the charity, I have been struck by the fact that the care they provide goes well beyond the scene of an emergency.

"I’ve been lucky enough to meet former patients and to hear how important aftercare support has been to them.

"It was a truly humbling experience and I’m delighted to be able to help Thames Valley Air Ambulance expand their team and reach more people in need of support.”

To find out more about the Aftercare that Thames Valley Air Ambulance provides, click here.