AIR AMBULANCE KENT SURREY SUSSEX SELECTED AS A FINALIST IN KENT CHARITY AWARDS 2021
Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) has been shortlisted by Kent Charity Awards 2021 as a finalist in the large charity category.
The Kent Charity Awards recognise organisations and individuals across the county which make the lives of others better and are open to charities of all sizes, whether a branch of a national charity or a small community-based charity.
The life-saving Rochester-headquartered charity is one of three finalists. Following a rigorous judging process, KSS has been shortlisted alongside Aspens Charities and CXK.
KSS provides world-class pre-hospital life-saving emergency medical care 24/7. Its service is pioneering and exemplary, saving lives and enabling the best possible patient outcomes. Despite the challenges faced over the last year, KSS has remained operational 24/7 whilst also extending its service to support the NHS, transferring critically ill Coronavirus patients between Intensive Care Units (ICUs) as and when required.
KSS needs to raise £15M each year and 88% of this is raised through public donations and fundraising. One of the biggest challenges faced by the charity over the last year was the sudden and significant drop in fundraising due to the cancellation of all face-to-face fundraising activities, including major events and collection box activities at shops and other locations throughout the region.
This coincided with an increase in costs in order to operate safely during the pandemic, such as adaptations to its helicopters to prevent Covid transmission. By launching a Coronavirus Emergency Appeal and introducing a range of virtual fitness fundraisers, KSS managed to meet its fundraising targets, thanks to the generosity and overwhelming support from the local community.
David Welch, CEO, KSS: “We are delighted to have been selected as a finalist in The Kent Charity Awards 2021. Operating throughout the pandemic, without dropping a single shift has been a huge achievement and our team at KSS has worked incredibly hard to ensure that our life-saving service has remained operational throughout this unprecedented time. We are so grateful for the overwhelming support we have received over the last year – remaining fully operational would not have been possible with our supporters’ incredible generosity and dedication. Being shortlisted for this award is a fantastic endorsement of the valuable role we play in the Kent community and beyond. The people of Kent have always taken us into their hearts and we share in this success with them and our other inspiring supporters.”
According to Organisers of the Kent Charity Awards, “In a turbulent year that has seen many charities having to change their working models to fit in with COVID-19 restrictions and also having to run their charity on reduced funding, we were bowled over to receive such a bumper amount of entries.”
Winners of the Kent Charity Awards will be announced at a ceremony at the end of August. For further details of the Kent Charity Awards, visit https://kentcharityawards.com
For more information about KSS, visit www.aakss.org.uk
