1:00pm Sunday 22nd November 2009
By Phil Hill
THE Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is hoping its tenth anniversary in 2010 will be a record-breaking fundraising year.
It wants to sign up more people to its weekly Flight for Life lottery, which has raised £7m since its launch in December 2000.
Its 27,000 members pay £1 a week, with a £1,000 jackpot and various other prizes.
The charity receives no Government funding and relies entirely on donations and fundraising.
Lottery manager Gareth Williams said: “The ‘Flight for Life’ lottery is a sustainable income for us and it would be challenging to maintain the air ambulance service without its continued growth.
“We hold a draw every Friday and there are five main cash prizes, including a top prize of £1,000 and a number of other consolation prizes.”
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance recruits new lottery members by door-to-door canvassing.
Anybody who would like to join the ‘Flight for Life’ lottery can do so via the air ambulance’s website - click on the related link on this story - or by e-mailing info@dorsetandsomersetairambulance.org.uk or calling 01823-669604.
The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has attended nearly 7,000 missions, with more than 700 so far this year.
Its 10th birthday will be celebrated in 2010 with an anniversary event at its Henstridge airbase on June 12.
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