It’s been 20 years since Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance launched as a registered charity, and as they mark the occasion with their new ‘Save A Life Challenge’, a former patient is raising money with a song honouring their work.
The ‘Save A Life Challenge’, which forms part of the charity’s ’20 Years By Your Side’ campaign, encourages members of the public to help with donations or fundraising events after their own organised fundraising endeavours were cancelled due to the pandemic. Costing £5 million per year to run, and with each life-saving mission costing an average of £3,000, charitable funds are essential for keeping their services available to anyone in need.
First in line to help is 15 year-old Maisie Sheridan, one of their former patients who credits the Air Ambulance with helping to save her life four years ago.
While on her way to a dance class on 18 September 2016, Maisie Sheridan was involved in a serious road traffic accident that resulted in a fractured skull and eye socket, lesions on her brain, soft tissue damage to her groin and knee, and road burns to the face and torso.
Today, instead of letting the effects of the accident get her down (she refers to the layer of skin she lost from her face as having ‘lost some of her freckles’), she’s turned her experiences into a gritty determination to help others by supporting the charity, and has co-written a song to help them raise funds.
‘Flying Heroes’ was written with the help of local singer/songwriter Ed Hintze and producer David Payne. It honours the men and women working for the Air Ambulance service, and all proceeds for the first year after its release will be donated to the charity.
Talking about her reasons for penning the song, Maisie said: “I know first-hand how incredible the clinical team at Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance are. Without their intervention, my story may well have had a different ending. It is because of public donations that the air ambulance was able to help save my life. I want to continue
doing my bit to try and ensure that others are also able to receive the same life-saving treatment, should they ever need it. Saying thank you will never be enough, but I hope that my song, in support of the Save a Life Challenge, shows how very grateful I will always be.”
Tracy Bartram, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Communications Manager said: “This year we anticipated marking our 20th Anniversary with a number of key events and activities. Many of our supporters also had plans to raise funds and awareness of our life-saving work. Unfortunately, all of these were cancelled or put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are absolutely thrilled that Maisie is the first person to join our Save a Life Challenge
with the release of this incredible song. We hope that when people hear the song and watch
the video to accompany it, they will be inspired to donate.”
‘Flying Heroes’ is available for streaming and download now from all major music sites, including Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music and Apple Music, and you can view the accompanying video here. For details on how you could help support the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance with their Save A Life Challenge, visit the website.