auxhall’s award-winning Ampera joined the East Anglian Air Ambulance’s new helicopter at a fund raising event in Bedfordshire this week.
The East Anglian Air Ambulance’s latest addition to its helicopter fleet, a Eurocopter which will take on night flights in the region, was flown on Sunday to The Rufus Centre in Flitwick and parked next to Vauxhall’s Ampera in front of a wowing crowd.
Recently commissioned by East Anglian Air Ambulance, the Eurocopter will allow the charity to provide a more extensive service to the community regardless of the night time challenge of visibility, being the first flight rescue service in the UK to do so. This will become a substantial benefit to the rescue services in the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk area, helping to transport many more patients to hospital during the night in a much reduced time.
Vauxhall’s electric vehicle, the Ampera, with its acclaimed extended-range technology hit UK showrooms in May and has scooped over 40 awards including the current European Car of the Year, What Car? Green Car of the Year and Top Gear magazine’s Green Car of the Year.
The Ampera, like the Eurocopter, boasts advanced, lightweight materials and an aerodynamic shape, both helping to significantly reduce energy consumption.
“I was asked by the charity to bring Vauxhall’s Ampera along to the fund raising event to showcase its advanced technology to the public alongside the helicopter,” said Cherie Denton from Vauxhall. “People came from all over the county and were thrilled to see two examples of the very latest leading-edge technology up close.”
Vauxhall Motors has been a sponsor of EAAA for over 5 years and is delighted to see the charity extending its availability in the air to 24 hours.
Paul Airton, from the East Anglian Air Ambulance, said:
“Five years ago, Bedfordshire had neither an air ambulance nor understanding of how the service could be provided. At the time, Vauxhall Motors generously gave us the use of an Astra Sportif to promote and fund-raise the service, the success of which saw the arrival of the latest air ambulance in the UK today. We are always pleased to see Vauxhall joining us, and thrilled when the superb Ampera sat looking stunning alongside our new Eurocopter EC135T2E. Both certainly drew the crowds – with the Ampera grabbing the attention of our pre-hospital critical care Doctors, Dr Tom Moore and Dr Lazlo Hertzman. The day raised almost £1000, and we have seen a large increase in our mail bag since of both donations and offers of help. Vauxhall Motors play a huge part in spreading the word about the charity, a part which I am eternally grateful for.”
