First Bus launches three-year partnership with Air Ambulances UK
First Bus has announced Air Ambulances UK as its new national charity partner, committing to a three-year partnership that will help support the lifesaving work of the UK's 21 air ambulance charities.
To launch the partnership, First Bus has made an initial donation of £20,000 and will match-fund colleague fundraising throughout the partnership.
Air Ambulances UK was chosen after First Bus colleagues nominated the causes they most wanted the business to support. The partnership also reflects First Bus's commitment to creating positive social value in the communities it serves.
Colleagues will have opportunities to volunteer, take part in challenge events, learn lifesaving CPR skills, support their local air ambulance charity and help raise awareness of the vital role air ambulance services play.
Air Ambulances UK supports the UK's 21 air ambulance charities. Together, they respond to more than 50,000 lifesaving missions each year, an average of more than 137 every day, delivering advanced critical care at the scene of life-threatening incidents before transporting patients to the most appropriate hospital where required.
Despite working alongside the NHS, air ambulance charities receive no day-to-day government funding and rely almost entirely on donations from the public and corporate partnerships to continue their lifesaving work.
The partnership also reflects the close connection between First Bus and the communities it serves, with colleagues witnessing first-hand the importance of rapid emergency response across the country's road network.
Isabel McAllister, Chief Sustainability and Compliance Officer at First Bus, said:
"Our colleagues told us they wanted a charity partnership that would make a real difference in the communities we serve, and Air Ambulances UK stood out as a cause that resonates across our business.
"Every day, our people are out on the roads serving millions of customers, so we understand how vital these specialist emergency services are when every second counts. We're proud to support Air Ambulances UK and the 21 local air ambulance charities they represent, and we're looking forward to raising funds, volunteering our time and helping raise awareness together over the next three years."
Mike McGrath, CEO of Air Ambulances UK, said:
"We're so delighted to be partnering with First Bus and incredibly grateful for their commitment to supporting Air Ambulances UK and the 21 air ambulance charities we serve and support. Every day, specialist teams respond to a lifesaving mission on average every 12 minutes across the UK, providing advanced pre-hospital care to people experiencing life-threatening illness or injury.
"As air ambulances rely almost entirely on public support, partnerships like this make an essential impact. As a First Bus colleague told me last week, this partnership just makes sense. It will help ensure these lifesaving services can be there whenever and wherever they are needed in every community.
"We look forward to working closely with First Bus to raise awareness of the vital role air ambulance charities play across the UK and to inspire support for this incredible cause."
Alongside its new national partnership with Air Ambulances UK, First Bus will also be supporting a dedicated charity partner in the Republic of Ireland, with further details to be announced in the coming weeks.