There are few gestures more powerful than giving back – but what if your support could literally take flight? Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is offering donors the opportunity to do just that: to see their name – or the name of someone they wish to honour – featured on the underside of its brand-new, state-of-the-art helicopter.
Launching its High Flyers campaign, MAAC is inviting supporters to become part of its lifesaving missions by adding a name to the iconic chevron design on of its Airbus H145 helicopter. For a donation of £150, you can choose your own, a loved one’s, a community group or even a heartfelt message of thanks and see it take to the skies.
The initiative can be used to mark a graduation, celebrate a milestone, as a ‘thank you’ message or dedication, ensuring flight doctors and critical care paramedics can continue to deliver hospital-level treatment at incident scenes in the region. The names will be printed as part of the chevrons and will quite literally travel with the crew on their daily missions across the six counties the charity serves: Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands and Worcestershire.
The scheme has already inspired individuals and businesses to get involved – including Blaze Hair in Kingswinford in memory of much-loved team member Kerry Boucker. Salon director Brett Harris was friends with Kerry – or ‘Kez’, as she was known – for nearly 30 years. She suffered a cardiac arrest at home, but despite prompt medical attention from both a crash team and Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, she passed away in December.
“Kerry’s loss was so sudden and shocked us all – she was my dear friend for over 27 years,” Brett shares. He pledged to celebrate her every day, and he quickly found a way to do so. “We started raising money for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity as a tribute to her.”
An A-Board was placed outside the salon promoting the charity, collection pots were included by the till, bespoke donation bins were created and a sign was added to the salon’s front window. Today, the Blaze Angels have raised more than £13,000. “It was a positive thing to put my energy into, keeping her memory alive and fundraising for such a wonderful cause.”
When he found out about the opportunity to submit Kerry’s name as one of the charity’s High Flyers, her family fully supported this special way to honour her. In less than 48 hours, they had amassed the donations from clients at the salon who wanted to contribute. “It’s comforting to her family, myself and the whole team at Blaze Hair to know her name will be flying alongside the crew while they provide lifesaving care to those who need it most.” Brett adds. “I just want to repay everything Kerry did for myself and my team and keep her memory alive.”
Like the team at Blaze Hair, High Flyers donors will receive a personalised certificate and a limited-edition commemorative coin, presented in a keepsake card as a meaningful memento of their involvement in the charity’s lifesaving mission. Captain Danny Shorter, MAAC pilot, explains: “Every mission we undertake is made possible by the generosity of our supporters. The names on our helicopter serve as a constant reminder of the lives and communities we are here to serve. It’s incredibly humbling to know that these names represent stories of love, loss and hope, carried with us on every flight.”
Those stories will soon be visible to the public too. Once all names are in place, they can be found via an online platform, and the full display will be showcased at selected charity events in the months ahead.
