In 2019, Southern Regional College announced Air Ambulance NI (AANI) as their official charity partner. The announcement saw a renewal of the partnership, as the organisation pledged to support the charity for another two years.
On Monday July 4 of this year, Amy Henshaw, Regional Fundraising Coordinator for AANI, visited the Newry West Campus to officially acknowledge the exceptional work of all SRC employees and students over the previous three years as Brian Doran, CEO and Principal of Southern Regional College proudly presented a cheque for £21,000 to Air Ambulance NI.
Air Ambulance NI is an important charity in Northern Ireland. They collaborate with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) and operate 365 days of the year to provide Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) across the region. On average, the charity responds to two individuals experiencing serious or life-threatening situations each day.
Each of the charity’s operational helicopters carries a crew comprising of a pilot, a doctor, and a paramedic, all of whom respond to traumatic medical incidents, delivering pre-hospital critical care.
SRC employees and students organised and participated in a variety of fundraising events during the three-year partnership in aid of AANI. The fundraising events included Corporate Day Raffles, Christmas Jumper Days, Sector Cycles, Fashion Shows, Red Week, and Coffee Mornings, just to name a few!
Amy Henshaw commented: ‘Thank you so much to all the staff and students across all campuses at Southern Regional College for their hard work and determination in supporting Air Ambulance NI over these last few years.
“Throughout Covid, everyone remained so committed to virtually supporting the charity, and when it was safe to do so, everyone began organising and running a variety of events to raise much needed funds.
“We are truly delighted to have received £21,000 from events that ranged from marathons, fashion shows, and red days…. the list is endless.
“Through your outstanding contribution to the charity, you have kept the helicopter flying for almost four full days, which will potentially help eight people in Northern Ireland who require emergency pre-hospital care.
“Thank you so much for your terrific fundraising efforts and enthusiasm.’’