Press/Media/Patient Feedback Expand All press and media enquiries should be directed to: Tracy Bartram, Communications Manager: 07817 536440 [email protected] Lara Battersby, Communications Officer: 01823 669604 (office hours) [email protected] Send us your enquiry by using our contact form.
Lottery Office Expand Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Lottery OfficeUnit 3Brook Road Industrial EstateWimborneDorsetBH21 2BH 01202 849530 [email protected] Send us your enquiry by filling in our contact form.
How can I help relations, friends and charities? Expand If you would like to leave a bequest to charity but need to ensure that relatives or close friends are well provided for during their lifetimes, there is a simple way to achieve both aims. Your solicitor can explain how someone can receive an income or other benefit from your Estate for their lifetime and then, when this is no longer needed, the remainder can be passed to charity.
What about my funeral arrangements? Expand As many people never quite get round to discussing funeral arrangements with loved ones, making a Will gives you the opportunity to make your wishes known. Make a note of these to be included in your Will. Strangely enough, the cost of a headstone or memorial is not regarded, by Law, as a funeral expense and it will make matters easier for your Executors if your wishes with regard to a headstone or memorial are also included in your Will.
Why make a Will? Expand If you have no family and have not made a Will, your entire estate could pass to the Crown and be added to the Treasury's coffers. So while you might want your closest friend to have all your possessions, the law will not agree if there is no Will. Who should make one? Everyone should make a Will because this is the only way you can be sure that your Estate will be distributed in accordance with your wishes. It is particularly important for parents with young families to make a Will to ensure that their children's needs are safeguarded. It is not enough to guarantee that their financial future is secure, thought must also be given to who will bring them up if you and your partner die. Guardians can be appointed in your Will and your solicitor will help with details of Trust Funds. Can I draw one up myself? It is perfectly possible to draw up your own Will but even simple Wills must comply with legal formalities and, if you are not familiar with legal terminology, just one mistake could invalidate the whole document. The best advice we can give is that you use a solicitor to draw up the Will. It is worth the expense to have peace of mind knowing that your wishes cannot be misinterpreted. Who should benefit from my Will? Write down the full names and addresses of all the people you wish to remember in your Will. Think carefully about precisely which special gifts you wish to make and to whom.
Inheritance Tax Expand The Government has launched a scheme called “Legacy 10” aimed at encouraging those who support charities in their lifetime to also do so in their wills. How does it work? If you decide to leave 10% or more of your estate to charity, the inheritance tax reduces from 40% to 36% (Note: Inheritance Tax is only applicable to estates exceeding £325,000). More Information We advise you to seek financial advice from a professional. Find out more about inheritance tax and charitable giving on the HMRC website For further details on how your can support us, please contact us on: 01823 669604 or email: [email protected]
What if I already have a Will? Expand If you have already made your Will, a bequest to our charity may be added to it by way of a Codicil. A codicil is a way to add a gift to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance to your latest Will. It is a supplement to your Will that can make changes or amend and allow additions to that Will. If you already have more than one Will make sure that this codicil refers to the latest Will – also clearly identify which codicil this will be, first, second, third etc. Unless the change you are making is very straightforward we recommend that you consult your solicitor and consider having your Will redrafted. If you decide to update your will using a codicil, here are a few basic rules: Just like a Will, you will need two adult witnesses to you signing the codicil. They, or their spouses cannot be beneficiaries. They do not need to see the contents of the codicil, merely that you sign it in their presence The witnesses need to write in their names and addresses and sign the codicil Keep the completed codicil with your latest will, but not attached by pins or staples etc, in a safe place Send a copy of the Will and codicil, in a sealed envelope if you prefer, to a trusted person. This could be your executor, solicitor, good friend, charity beneficiary and let them know where the original Will and codicil are stored.
Chairman - Gillian Bryce Expand Gillian graduated in Medicine from Glasgow University in 1980 and became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh four years later. She was appointed as a Consultant in Accident and Emergency Medicine at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton in 1992 and was Medical Director of the South Western Ambulance Service between 1994 and 2009. She has been involved at a national level in training and guidelines for paramedics. Gillian has been interested and involved in pre-hospital medicine throughout her career and appreciates the vital role played by the air ambulance in delivering high quality care to patients. Future development of additional clinical skills for aircrew is something she hopes to help take forward. When not occupied with work and hospital matters she likes to travel to far flung places!
Richard Kennedy Expand Richard recently retired as a Chartered Accountant and partner with PKF Francis Clark LLP, the largest firm of accountants in the South West. He grew up in Taunton and studied Law at Southampton University before training as an accountant with a national firm in London. He then spent a few years working in Richmond, Surrey before returning to work in Somerset. Richard works in Taunton and advises owner managed businesses, charities and professional practices. He lives nearby in the countryside with his wife Julia and they have two grown up children and one grandson. Outside work he enjoys sailing and is a sporadic and very average golfer and tennis player.
Unsubscribe from Communications Expand If you currently receive communications from the Charity, please be assured that your details will not be passed on to third parties, unless it is to support the charitable objectives of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. We never sell your data and we will never share it with another company or charity for marketing purposes. View our Privacy Policy. Opting Out from Communications If you no longer wish to receive communications from us, you can opt out at any time by: Calling: 01823 669604 Emailing: [email protected] Writing to us: Dorset and Somerset Air AmbulanceLandacre HouseCastle RoadChelston Business ParkWellingtionSomersetTA21 9JQ
Simon Jones Expand Simon has worked within the aerospace and defence industry for over 30 years, with the last 23 spent with Leonardo Helicopters, where he sits as part of the Senior Leadership Team. Simon has a wide breadth of business knowledge and experience, including working extensively overseas, including two long term assignments in Canada and Denmark. Simon is a Trustee of the Leonardo Helicopters Pension Scheme and a Governor of Preston School in Yeovil; he became a Trustee of DSAA in 2018. Simon lives in a village on the Somerset Levels with his wife Amanda and spends his limited spare time cycling, skiing, kayaking, competing in motorcycle trails and is actively involved in the community, having helped organise two local charity events for the last 20 years.
1999 Expand DSAA was registered as a charity in December 1999 by a joint venture of trustees from Dorset and Somerset Ambulance Service. Seed funding was received from the Government and the Automobile Association. The airbase was established at Henstridge, near Sherborne. The charity operated from a broom cupboard in Taunton Ambulance Station with one fundraiser and one volunteer, eventually moving to a portacabin on this site.
2000 Expand The charity started a Society Lottery with an office in Bournemouth Ambulance Station Our first Flight for Life Lottery Draw took place on 19th December by Jeremy Beadle at the Bournemouth Pavillion Theatre. Our service came online at 8.00am on the 21st March 2000; 52 minutes later we were tasked to our first mission.
2000-2006 Expand During this time, we operated a twin-paramedic model of operation which was pretty much the standard of the time and changed very little for many years. The principle was to get to the patient as quickly as possible, carry out an immediate assessment, stabilise them and package them for transportation to hospital. Our crew consisted of two paramedics and a pilot and operated during daylight hours only. During the first three years of operation, our aircraft costs were met by the AA grant and our medical costs were met by the ambulance service.
2007 Expand The Bolkow 105 served us well for seven years, but in 2007 we decided to upgrade to a more modern aircraft, the EC135. HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, formerly unveiled our new helicopter at a ceremony held at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton. SWASFT created a permanent Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) desk to cover the south west region. This was the first full-time HEMS desk in the country; today it is funded by the five air ambulance charities it serves.
2008 Expand Geoff Jarvis (owner of Henstridge Airfield) built a purpose-built air ambulance hangar and leased it to the charity for a peppercorn rent. The charity moved to new offices in Wellington.
2011 Expand In 2011, we began looking at ways to develop our critical care capability and increased our paramedics to six. Our Lottery office moved to leased offices in Wimborne and we organised our first ever Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge.
2013 Expand In 2013, we sponsored a unique, post-graduate education programme for eight paramedics. This was funded by the charity and run in partnership with the University of Hertfordshire, SWASFT and a number of NHS hospital trusts across the region.