Air Ambulance Agribusiness Group seeks support to ‘keep the air ambulance flying’

The group, which is made up of agricultural enthusiasts and advocates, has been actively fundraising and raising awareness for the charity since 2020.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Barclay Bell, a Rathfriland farmer and trustee of Air Ambulance, explained: “The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service has seen an increase on call outs this year from last year – 63 more individuals and families in need of urgent medical care.

“Our charity depends on public support to raise £2.5 million annually to ensure we can continue to be there when people need us most.

“This life-saving service is a vital resource for farmers and rural communities, where access to medical services can be challenging. The air ambulance helps to address this by saving lives, protecting brains, and preserving limbs.”

Mr Bell is past president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) and actively involved with several other farming organisations.

Continuing, he said: “There are lots of ways to support: Air Ambulance NI will be attending RUAS Winter Fair on 12 December and will be one of the benefiting causes for the Armagh Livingstone Tractor Run on 28th December 2024.

“We also encourage the rural community to reach out to their local agri representative or to the charity office on 028 9262 2677 to offer support”.

In addition to Barclay, the agri group representatives include:

- Aurelie Moralis of Castlewellan, Co Down who is a qualified vet now working in the animal health pharmaceutical industry.

- Martyn Blair from Finvoy, Co Antrim, a full-time farmer with qualifications in agricultural economics and marketing.

- Oonagh Chesney of Portglenone, Co Antrim, Company Secretary of Fane Valley Co-Op Society Ltd and all group subsidiary companies.

- James Speers, a farmer and past president of the Young Farmers Clubs of Ulster from Markethill, Co Armagh.

- Raymond Bready originally of Rathfriland, Co Down, now living in Donaghadee, a Key Accounts Manager for John Thompson and Sons and commentator for equestrian events across Europe.

- Libby Clarke of Magheralin, Co Armagh who is a cattle breeder, cattle judge and runs her own estate agency.

- Caroline Doyle, Ballymena, Agricultural Business Manager for Barclays Bank.

- Cheryl Veitch, Lecturer and Course Co-ordinator for Sport at South West College and with a love of horses especially Chestnut mares.

- Malachy Dolan, social farmer and Quality Systems consultant from Garrison.

The very first call out of Air Ambulance was to a farming incident and farming and agricultural incidents account for up to 11 per cent of call outs.

This includes accidents involving farm machinery, slurry or cattle.

Unfortunately, on average, there is a farming call every week.

Other ways to support include organising a tractor run or coffee morning, quiz or collection. The charity also encourages individuals to become a member by registering a monthly direct debit as a Club Member – you can do that here: https://airambulanceni.org/club-aani-membership/

Air Ambulance NI, in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS), provides life-saving care to critically ill and injured patients across the region.

With an average of two callouts per day, the service is often the critical difference between life and death.

For more information on how you can support this essential service, please visit www.airambulanceni.org