The Air Ambulance has assisted several members of the Mulliner CC Lodge. WBro Phil Litchfield fell into an empty swimming pool and was attended to by an Air Ambulance doctor who then travelled with him in a road ambulance. The East Anglia Air Ambulance (EAAA) attended to WBro Steve Griggs when he was run over by a motor-cyclist in Great Yarmouth. Steve was flown to the hospital after initial treatment. Bro Phil Hayes was similarly airlifted to hospital after his neck was broken in a motor accident. In all these cases the swift response of the Air Ambulance service saved these Brethren’s lives.

At the Consecration of the Lodge in March 2022 the Founding Master, W Bro Steve Brown declared that he would like to add the EAAA to the Lodge charitable roll.

Early in the morning of Friday 19th January, in sub-zero temperatures WBro Tom Webster (current WM) and WBro Steve Kingan (Past Charity Steward) set out to visit the East Anglia Air Ambulance (EAAA) facility at Cambridge Airport and present a cheque for £1000. At the last minute, WBro. Steve “Wus” Brown felt unable to brave the conditions to accompany them, on what turned out to be perfect conditions (maximum visibility with a light breeze) for the visit.

Hosted by Tammy Swiderski, Community Funds-Raiser, Tom and Steve were treated to a full tour of the facility, meeting the duty crew of two pilots, a doctor and two paramedics.
Unusually the duty crew were not “scrambled” during the three hours that Tom and Steve were onsite. So the pilots gave a detailed briefing on the capability of the Airbus EC-145 helicopter, and the doctor briefed them on the medical equipment it carries. Then one of the paramedics briefed them on the Volvo XC90 based Rapid Response Vehicle that supports operations from the ground. They also toured the building which houses crew overnight accommodation, EAAA operate 24 hours a day, a training facility as well as a small gym. Paramedics in the crew see more trauma in a three month period than most paramedics see in their entire career, so health and wellbeing is a premium consideration.

In 2023 the EAAA flew 1,453 missions, supported by 1006 Rapid Response Vehicle deployments, attending a total of 1697 patients from their two locations at Norwich and Cambridge airports. Each mission costs about £3,750. However, EAAA receives no government funding, even having to buy the blood they need for transfusions. Relying entirely on charitable giving, the EAAA needs to raise £19m for 2024.

Tom and Steve were both struck by the unassuming professionalism of everyone they met; and their genuine gratitude for the contribution from Mulliner, and the wider support they receive from Freemasonry.

During Tom’s reign as Master of the Mulliner Classic Car Lodge, the Lodge will be continuing to support the Air Ambulance cause.

Postscript: During the visit Tom and Steve were overheard explaining Freemasonry to Tammy by a visiting lift engineer, who is a Mason. It turned out that he had just moved into Province and was looking for a Lodge. So hopefully Tom and Steve’s visit to Cambridge will make a contribution to the Provincial Membership Challenge as well as the EAAA mission.