Pupils from an Aberystwyth primary school were excited to welcome a Wales Air Ambulance representative to their school as part of their ‘people who help us’ topic.
The Charity’s Regional Fundraising Coordinator, Emily Bell, recently visited Dosbarth Leri at St Padarn’s Catholic Primary School.
As well as giving a presentation to the class of pupils, aged between 4 and 5, who are learning about ‘people who help us’, Emily also gave a talk to the whole school during their assembly.
Rhian Parry, Dosbarth Leri teacher, said: “Our reception class are currently learning about ‘people who help us’, so the visit fitted perfectly with our topic work, and we jumped at the opportunity to have Emily visit us. It made the children’s learning authentic and really brought the topic to life. The whole school benefited from the visit through a whole-school assembly, and parents were also able to get involved during a coffee afternoon.
“The visit was very informative and beneficial. We learned a lot about the air ambulance service, the amazing work they do, and how the Charity is funded. It gave both the children and staff a much greater understanding of the vital role the air ambulance plays in helping people in emergencies.
“The children thoroughly enjoyed the talk and were very inquisitive and asked lots of interesting questions.”
The class teacher said that the pupils ‘especially loved’ the interactive elements of Emily’s visit, including lifting the medical bag to see how heavy it was and using the cardboard cut-out to transform themselves into a Wales Air Ambulance medic.
Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and, if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury.
It is delivered via a unique third sector and public sector partnership. The Wales Air Ambulance Charity relies on public donations to raise the £13 million required every year to keep the helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.
The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the Charity’s vehicles.
This advanced critical care includes the ability to administer anaesthesia, deliver blood transfusions and conduct minor operations, all at the scene of an incident.
As a pan-Wales service, its dedicated crews, regardless of where they are based, will travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency critical care.
Emily May said: “It was wonderful to visit the school and give a presentation on the lifesaving work we do at the Wales Air Ambulance. The children were wonderful and asked so many good questions.
“They were very interested about the Charity and how we help people across the country.
“I was delighted to be able to visit the school and explain the importance of the Wales Air Ambulance to the people of Wales. The children learned how we use rapid response cars as well as helicopters to attend to patients.
“Thank you to everyone at St Padarn’s Schoolfor a wonderful welcome. I really enjoyed meeting you all.”
