Wales Air Ambulance base, Dinas Dinlle

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Since 2003 Caernarfon Airport has been home to the North Wales helicopter of the Wales Air Ambulance Charity. The charity, founded in 2001, relies on donations from the public to keep its helicopters flying.

When it started flying from Caernarfon, it used a Bolkow 105 DBs helicopter (pictured right) with paramedics on board. Initially it operated five days per week, but this soon increased to seven. By 2018 the charity was operating four helicopters, based here and in Welshpool, Llanelli and Cardiff.

Photo of original Caernarfon-based air ambulanceAir ambulances take patients to hospital much quicker than is possible in road ambulances. The service in Wales carries NHS consultants and critical care practitioners, enabling the patient to receive critical care before reaching hospital.

The air ambulances also transfer patients from hospitals and other care facilities to specialist centres.

The pilots are highly skilled – they routinely land the helicopters in unusual and confined locations! The 2019 photo shows the helicopter on an emergency call outside Caernarfon Castle.

Photo of air ambulance beside Caernarfon CastleIn 2019 the Caernarfon-based air ambulance attended three-year-old Hannah at a North-west Wales nursery. She was having fits and stopped breathing about four or five times. Following treatment at the scene, she was flown to hospital, where she received further specialist care.

She recovered well, thanks to the quick-thinking nursery staff and the emergency care of the Welsh Ambulance Service and Wales Air Ambulance medics.

Hannah’s mum said: “I’m convinced that if we didn’t get the help as quickly as we did, my daughter wouldn’t be here today. It’s such an amazing job they do. They’re really angels in the sky. When she’s older, I’ll tell her all about how the helicopter came to save her.”

The Wales Air Ambulance needs to raise £8m every year to continue saving lives, at all times.

Postcode: LL54 5TP     View Location Map

Website of Wales Air Ambulance Charity 

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