Twenty years ago a new charity, the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA), was formed to help save lives across East Anglia in the UK. Operating initially one day a week, on a Friday from Norwich airport with one paramedic, the service has become an important lifeline for many local people.

The EAAA can reveal that over the last 20 years it has flown almost 30,000 missions and helped almost 20,000 patients, all thanks to the generosity of its supporters. To thank the community that keeps it flying and saving lives, the EAAA has released on its website a short film, which explores some of its key achievements over the last 20 years, how the service has grown and showcases some of the people it has helped.

The service needs to raise 13 million GBP a year to develop and deliver the service and is aiming to start flying 24/7 for the first time next year. CEO Patrick Peal says: “The EAAA is a unique life-line for anyone in East Anglia; we are incredibly proud to be here today, having kept flying throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and to see such a high need for our crews over the last few months. We know we're providing an essential service for the people of East Anglia, and we're so, so thankful for all the support we have received over the last 20 years. We really couldn't be here without the community that funds our life-saving work. A huge heart-felt thank you from all of us to everyone who has supported us over the years.”

The EAAA has grown to operate two H145 helicopters across the region carrying a highly-skilled emergency medicine doctor and a critical care paramedic, always taking the accident and emergency department to the patient, no matter what the type of medical emergency. In 2013, after a lengthy development programme, it became the first HEMS service in the UK to start flying at night to unchartered sites, which enabled it to reach more people in their worst moments.

Today, the EAAA is available 24/7 by rapid response vehicle from both of its Norwich and Cambridge airport bases, and it is planning to extend its HEMS service to 24/7 coverage next year to ensure the provision of the very best emergency care to those in need, whenever it is needed. The organisation does not receive regular government funding and is kept airborne thanks to the generosity of local people.