Bristol Airport raises over £21,000 for Great Western Air Ambulance

Bristol Airport raised over £21,000 for its charity of the year, the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC), at a golf day on held on Thursday 5 September. 

The fundraising day saw 80 players, from many of the contractors at the Airport, form 20 different teams to enjoy the 18-hole course at The Kendleshire golf club in South Gloucestershire. The teams braved the wet and windy conditions ensuring a full turn out for such a deserving cause.

Mike Holt, Director for Lancer Scott, was part of the team who arranged the golf day along with Andrew Goodenough, Infrastructure Director for Bristol Airport. The Airport's business partners, who are involved with the site's new multi-storey car park and Public Transport Interchange, paid to take part in the event. They were also able to help raise further funds by purchasing Mulligans (a second chance shot), buying raffle tickets, bidding for auction items and having a go at beating professional golfer, Joe Harvey.

GWAAC respond to people in urgent need of critical care. They perform procedures normally only seen inside a hospital emergency department, for patients whose survival relies on receiving that treatment right there at the scene.

Their Critical Care Doctors, Advanced Practitioners and Specialist Paramedics treat patients at the scene providing complex interventions to give them the best chance of a positive outcome 365 days of the year and in some of the most challenging environments across Gloucestershire, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath & North East Somerset, and parts of Wiltshire.  

The £21,000 raised at the event will help this team save more local lives.

Image: Bristol Airport

Andrew Goodenough, Infrastructure Director at Bristol Airport said: “The golf day was such a success, and it was only possible through the support from our business partners and suppliers in raising such an incredible amount of money on the day. The Bristol Airport team voted for GWAAC as our charity partnership at the beginning of the year and it is the continued support, commitment and the generosity of our customers and staff which continues to raise money for such a worthwhile local charity.”

Organisations involved included Massey Cladding, Alun Griffiths Contractors, Farrans, MB Construction, QuantumCLS, TPS360, All Power, McCann & Partners, Barnwood, RyeBridge, Another Level, Burroughs, Whiteheads, Amber Consulting, Encon, John Perkins, Currie & Brown and J&G Fencing. Many of them sponsored a hole as well as CASS UK, Morgan Structural Wales, SFI Limited, M2 Flooring Limited, QDL, Air Systems, Whitehead, Holder Mathias Architects, Dial Marketing Leisure and Xenon Workplace. 

Bristol Airport has decided to extend their charity partnerships to two years moving forwards, as this will allow the Airport to raise even more awareness and money for great causes. Therefore, the Airport’s current charity partnership with GWAAC will remain in place until the end of 2025. If customers would like to donate whilst travelling through the terminal, zig-zag coin stations can be found at security, in the departure lounge and also by the baggage belts.

Anna Perry, CEO of the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, said: “I am thrilled that Bristol Airport has extended its charity partnership with GWAAC. Bristol Airport Staff and business partners are going above and beyond to find ways to support us; the golf day is a perfect example of this. The incredible £21,000 raised could help us save nine lives in our region; that’s nine families kept together – something we will be forever grateful for.”