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4th April 2018

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Wales Air Ambulance is working with schools across The Vale of Glamorgan to help educate young children.

The helicopter charity has been providing ‘999’ presentations to schools with the aim of educating young children on what to do in emergency situations.

The talks are conducted by members of the charity’s fundraising team in their local communities and feature an interactive presentation on what to expect when calling 999.

The charity has already attended several schools in the area including, Romilly Primary School. During the presentation, Helicopter Transfer Practitioner Jez James gave a demonstration and explained about the important work carried out by the charity’s specialist paediatric division – The Children’s Wales Air Ambulance.

WAA community coordinator Catrin Hall said: In 2017 Wales Air Ambulance attended 53 missions across the Vale of Glamorgan. We understand that phoning 999 can be a daunting experience for anyone, particularly children. When children have to dial 999 it will usually be for the assistance of a loved one or family member as no other responsible person is available. Our aim is to simplify the process and hopefully allay some of the fears young people may have when calling the emergency services for the first time.

“It’s also a great opportunity for us to highlight the work of Wales Air Ambulance and how we work closely with colleagues across the emergency services network”.

Wales Air Ambulance is the largest Air Ambulance operation in the UK with four airbases located across the country. The crews are no more than 20 minutes away from anywhere in Wales and attend around 2,500 missions every year. Annually, the charity must raise £6.5 million to sustain the service and receives no government or lottery funding. Money is raised through donations, membership of the Lifesaving Lottery, fundraising events and Charity Shops located across Wales.

Catrin added: “We would encourage any schools that would like to advantage of these free educational presentations to get in touch with us”.

Contact: Email- [email protected] or call 07583 941287