real people saving real lives

Devon Air Ambulance TrustANNUAL REPORT 2009

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IntroductionThe Devon Air Ambulance Trust (DAAT), a registered charity, is responsible for fundingDevon’s two Air Ambulances, which provide the relief of injury or sickness through rapidtreatment and transport to a hospital or other care facility.

The service is available to anyone and everyone in Devon and neighbouring counties,resident or visitor. There is a set criteria, with the decision on whether to deploy thehelicopter or not depending on factors including clinical need, urgency, accessibility anddistance to hospital.

Our deep gratitude goes to the countless members of the public, the business communityand professional services who provide a constant source of inspiration through such a widerange of fundraising events and other supporting activities and who truly value the serviceand raise money to keep the Devon Air Ambulance helicopters flying.

ContentsP3 Real peopleP4 Saving real livesP6 Objectives for 2009P7 Achievements in 2009P8 Communications and publicationsP9 Community and volunteersP10 Summary financial informationP12 With thanksP13 Giving with confidenceP14 How you can helpP15 Vision, mission, values

ANNUAL REVIEW 2009 DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST

DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST ANNUAL REVIEW 2009 3

Real people

We fly anaverage of

missionsper day5

The Devon Air Ambulance Trust is clearly an essential service in andaround the county of Devon. Less obvious are the wide range ofmedical, operational, fundraising and voluntary activities that form aseries of interdependent and highly supportive relationships, combiningto achieve the goals of the Trust.

Our two Air Ambulances each have a team of six specially trained, highlyskilled paramedics and two pilots – all experienced in dealing with themost challenging and traumatic circumstances. This is the frontline ofthe service but they receive essential support from the HEMS (HelicopterEmergency Medical Services) despatch team who identify the 999 callsmost suitable for Air Ambulance deployment, therefore maximising theefficiency of the operations.

The day-to-day work of the Trust is carried out by a small dedicatedteam, overseen by a senior management team. The managementteam in turn is supported by a board of Trustees who ensure goodgovernance, best practice, accountability and transparency. This allcontributes to DAAT being recognised as one of the best managedcharities in the country.

Operationally, the Trust is supported by a number of externalcompanies:• Bond Air Services, from whom we lease our North Devon helicopter.• Devon & Cornwall Constabulary, who maintain and pilot the

purpose-designed EC135 owned by the Trust, based in Exeter.• Eurocopter UK, the helicopter manufacturer. • South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust who employ our superb

team of paramedics and deploy the service on a day-to-day basis.

No reference to ‘real people’ can be made, however, without mention ofour amazing volunteers who give us the gift of their time and anchor theservice to the community we serve.

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“It is difficult to express my gratitude inwords. The presence of the AirAmbulance and the crew made apotentially life-threatening situationsafe and controlled. I will always be inyour debt. Thank you. ”

Fiona

FionaFiona had been walking for just over three hours with a group of Ten Tors trainees fromWestlands School. In open moorland about 4 kms away from any roads, she lost her balancein mud and fell over, breaking her left leg.

Fiona recalled: “The crew were so calm and professional that I had no opportunity to be afraid.It was a nasty break which needed to be treated quickly and this swift treatment would nothave happened without the Air Ambulance. It is difficult to express my gratitude in words. Thepresence of the Air Ambulance and the crew made a potentially life-threatening situation safeand controlled. I will always be in your debt.”

ANNUAL REVIEW 2009 DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST

DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST ANNUAL REVIEW 2009 5

Saving real lives

Wayne

Sarah

Braydon

The total cost of a missionaverages

£3,300

TammyDad Shaun wrote to DAAT, saying:"Hi, just wanted to say thanks to the people that were involved in savingthe life of my 6 year old daughter Tammy of Minehead. On a Mondayevening after she had a very high fever, she fitted, turned blue andstopped breathing. She is now fine and back to school thanks toyourselves and everyone involved with her recovery.”

Wayne Hazel Dean, Wayne’s mother, contacted DAAT by email to say: “In March 2008 your helicopter kindly flew my son, Wayne Burton, fromExeter Race Course to the local hospital. Wayne, a jockey, had taken abad fall and with a suspected back injury and loss of consciousness, timewas of the essence. With your help he was able to receive immediateattention, which proved vital at that time. Wayne suffered a broken T4 inhis back and is currently in a wheelchair. But, he is still here with us andI am so grateful to everyone who has made that possible.”

BraydonBraydon was just two days old when he became extremely poorly. He wasinitially airlifted from Honiton to Exeter before being transferred toDerriford in Plymouth. Needing specialist medical treatment, he was thenairlifted by Royal Navy helicopter to Glenfield Hospital in Leicester.

Braydon was diagnosed with Streptococcus Pneumococcal andSepticaemia and also treated for Meningitis. After nearly a week ofintensive treatment he was transferred back to the RD&E Exeter’s neonatal unit. After five long weeks in hospital, Braydon was able to go home.

SarahSarah was involved in a head-on collision on the A35. She was cut out ofher vehicle and airlifted to hospital. She said, “If it wasn’t for the crew, Ican safely say I would not be here today. I recall little of my accident,but when I was semi-conscious the only voice, which was calm andreassuring, was that of air paramedic Adrian Parker. The 11 minutes ittook to fly from Axminster to Exeter went by in a blur – thank god!

Visiting the airbase was a very emotional day for me. While I knew itwould be a tough visit, meeting everyone involved in my rescue was oneof the best things I could have done to help me get over the emotions Ihad been feeling. I couldn’t believe how at ease they made me feel.How they deal with things like my rescue, every day, must be amazing...which is just what they are. Thank you so much.”

Objectives for 2009• Official launch of the Steve Ford Air Base.• Maintain the Trust’s fundraising income through the economic downturn.• Develop a full and fresh programme of events in conjunction with the BBC Radio Devon

Air Ambulance Appeal including one for National Air Ambulance Day.• Develop a social media strategy including staff training to maximise the potential of

Twitter, Facebook etc.• Celebrate the ‘coming of age’ of Devon Air Ambulance Trust, 18 years after the first

flight.• Develop Phase 2 of the Junior Crew Club website area.• Review office requirements of the Trust with a view to streamlining operations and

improving workflow.• Review data processing and establish clear operational guidelines and training.• Establish a team of lottery canvassers.

Strategies for achieving the objectives• Further improve communications capability and develop a meaningful, effective

programme of executive meetings.• Improve engagement with potential donors through clarity of requests and means of

communications.• Clearly identify staff training requirements and source training opportunities.• Streamline business processes to ensure the best use of resources.

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“You airlifted my son Conor.We were involved in a roadtraffic collision and he wasflown to hospital. I wanted to thank you allfor the wonderful serviceyou provided to him andwe will be forever grateful.Thank you. ”

Natasha, Conor’s mum

ANNUAL REVIEW 2009 DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST

The Steve Ford Air Base – plans for a dedicated Air Ambulance base inNorth Devon came to fruition in 2009 with the completion of a purpose-built facility named in honour of a former DAAT pilot in time for an officialopening in January 2010. Thanks to a commendably collaborativeapproach the building was completed on time and in budget.

After lengthy negotiations and an in-depth presentation by the charity,BBC Radio Devon agreed to supportthe Trust as their adopted charity ofthe year. The joint appeal, aimed atraising £600,000, was announced atthe official opening of the Steve FordAir Base.

Air Ambulance Charity of the Year Awards – DAAT was short-listed for theAir Ambulance Charity of the Year Award at the Business and HealthAwards.

DAAT Lottery – our own in-house lottery is growing from strength tostrength and 2009 saw us sign up our 18,000th member.

Business process – an investment was made in cleansing the maindatabase to ensure all contact details were up to date.

Website – launched in 2009, this incorporates interactive features, anonline shop, links to social media and a members-only area for the JuniorCrew Club. DAAT personnel played a significant role in designing the site,ensuring a future development capability.

Board of Trustees – Long-standing trustee Jackie Dawkins was appointedChairman of the Trust in October 2010 with Jack Lomas becoming ViceChairman. During the year the trustees received specialist governancetraining.

Volunteers’ Manager – Philip King was appointed as DAAT’s first Volunteers’Manager in recognition of the importance volunteers play in the charity’ssuccess.

New crew – 4 new crew members joined the service, to replace retiringcrew and maintain the 12-strong paramedic team.

The press office – placed a number of extensive, high quality articles aboutthe service and its personnel in the national media, as well as carrying onthe busy day-to-day duties.

Flying experience for HEMS despatch team – during the year SWASTincreased the time available for clinical governance training enabling us toprovide invaluable operational flight time for the Air Ambulance despatchteam.

DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST ANNUAL REVIEW 2009 7

Achievements in 2009

In 2009

1106people wereflown to hospital

Philip King

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Communications and publications• One of the biggest developments in communications over the past year has been the

charity’s increased profile using social media. Through our Facebook group we have madecontact with many patients who had not been aware that, because of patientconfidentiality, we do not automatically know who has been treated or airlifted. ThroughTwitter we have been able to generate donations and in kind support as well as raising thecharity’s profile to a completely new audience.

• Following a tender and selection process, we appointed Devon-based Optix Solutions todevelop our new website at www.daat.org which we were delighted to launch in August2009. The results have been outstanding, with significantly higher visitor numbers and a bigincrease in income from the online shop and donations.

• Our HeliPad magazine is produced every quarter, with Junior HeliPad three times a year.

• We regularly give talks to schools and youth groups and run a Junior Crew Club.

“Without their helpI’m sure I wouldnot be here today.I’m proud that theycame to my help inmy hour of need. ”

David

ANNUAL REVIEW 2009 DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST

Paramedics Paul Robinson and Nigel Hare

Ask any chief executive of a charitable organisation and they’ll tellyou they can’t do without the support of the people who “donatethe gift of time.”

At a time of economic downturn the importance of our volunteersand community fundraising teams is essential in helping usmaintain funds and ensure we keep our two lifesaving helicoptersin the air.

Our volunteers come from many walks of life and the work they dofor us takes on many guises – from working in our local charityshops, to looking after collection boxes, giving talks and runningstalls at the rural shows. The work they do is invaluable. Havingvolunteers all over the county means we are able to reach out intothe community and gain access to people with great localknowledge, who spread the word about Devon Air Ambulance andgalvanise further support.

Community fundraising is absolutely vital to the sustainability ofthe charity and in uncertain economic times it is even more so.Again, the range of activities is vast, from traditional fundraisingevents like fun runs to the more unusual and obscure localchallenges like worm-charming and bolving (imitating the soundof a rutting red-deer stag!).

We can’t put a price on the invaluable work of our volunteers andsupporters all over the county but we know we can’t do it withoutthem!

There can be no better example than Ian Shere Massey who givestalks on behalf of the charity, attends events and receives chequesand helps around the office picking up any job that needs doing.

Ian said recently “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to doa job I love and enjoy. I can’t think of doing a job that’s morerewarding and enables me to meet such fantastic people!”

DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST ANNUAL REVIEW 2009 9

Community & volunteers

of missions are tomedical emergenciessuch as heart attacks or strokes

46%

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We were very pleased to maintain our income during a tough year, economically. Primarily this is becausewe have stuck to our core fundraising strategy of providing as many straightforward ways to support thecharity at all levels as possible and our primary focus remains on encouraging and supporting fundraising bythe community rather than trying to do it all ourselves.

Overall income in 2009 was £4,530,000, a 9% increase on the previous year. Excluding unpredictable legacyincome, all other streams were in aggregate 6% higher than for 2008. This is most encouraging and exceededour expectations.

Income from donations, excluding legacies, together with funds raised by community groups increased by10% in 2009 to £1,650,000. Legacy income increased from £986,000 in 2008 to £1,189,000, which wasabove the £800,000 forecast for the year.

A new lottery sales team was appointed in 2009 and this paid dividends both in a rise in player numbers andin the percentage paying by standing order. Although the year’s figures show an increase in the cost of salesas a result, it is anticipated this investment will result in a steady improvement in the return on investmentas the rate of recruitment outstrips the attrition rate. The contribution to the Charity increased to £569,000against £556,000 in 2008 equating to 66p from every £1 played. We regularly benchmark our performanceagainst similar lotteries run by other charities through our membership of the Lotteries Council and on thisbasis believe we achieve a rate of return that compares very favourably with the best performers.

Gross income from shops and merchandise sales in 2009 increased by £47,000 (7%) over 2008. Net incomeincreased by 57% from £61,000 to £96,000. In part this was due to the introduction of Gift Aid on donatedgoods part way through the year but also to improvements in shop layouts and staff and volunteer training.Benchmarking against data available from the Association of Charity Shops indicates our performance is inline with national averages so it is our aim to improve on this.

Whilst the Charity’s outgoings are fairly predictable, the sharp rises in fuel costs during the year led to a steeprise in operating costs for a while, adding more than £100,000 to expenses during the year. Even so, this waswell within the parameters of the worst case scenario planning we undertake to test our ability to weatherunanticipated drops in income or cost increases and there was no danger of having to cut services thanksto a prudent reserves policy.

The Trustees deem it prudent to have the security of reserves to enable improvement and development ofthe service to be made with confidence where there may be a timing delay between implementing morecostly operational activities and the response from the public to any fundraising appeal.

The Trustees have reviewed the level of reserves (that is those funds that are freely available) that the Charityought to have in light of the intention to purchase a replacement aircraft in 2013 and re-affirmed that theminimum level of free reserves of £700,000 be maintained. This is based on worst case scenario projectionssuch as a dramatic reduction in legacy income and a 20% fall in all other income streams. This minimum levelof cover will give a lead time of 8 months in which to implement appropriate action.

We are looking forward to a very exciting year following our successful bid for the BBC Radio Devon charityappeal, launched in January 2010. This awareness and fundraising partnership will span the next 12 to 18months and presents a fabulous opportunity for the charity to increase understanding of what we do andhow we operate.

ANNUAL REVIEW 2009 DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST 10

Summary f inancialinformation

DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST ANNUAL REVIEW 2009 11

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

£000s

Legacie

s

Comm

unity

fundra

ising

Lotte

ry

Shops &

Merchandise

Donations

Inve

stments

&

Inte

rest

DAAT run eve

nts

2009

2008

£000s

Cost of income generation

Helicopter

Governance

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000

2008

2009

Gross income

Expenditure

Fundraising return per £1

2009 £3.22

2008 £3.25

Gross income (£000s) 2009 2008

Legacies 1189 986Community fundraising 1196 997Lottery 858 803Shops & merchandise 680 633Donations 454 498Investments & interest 72 145DAAT run events 81 80

4,530 4,142

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With thanksIt’s impossible to be able to thank every single supporter, whether that be individual,club, association or company, but we wanted to take the opportunity to say a BIG thankyou to everyone who has and continues to support the charity. There would not be oneAir Ambulance in Devon, let alone two, if it were not for your generosity! As well asdozens of clubs and associations, here are just some of the organisations who made areal difference in 2009.

• Bovey Castle• El-Nashar Dental Practice• Eurocopter UK • Lloyds TSB Commercial, Barnstaple • Lord Haldon Hotel• Marks & Spencer, Plymouth• Mazda UK• Mickey Evans Testimonial

• Mid Devon Gazette• Miller Countrywide• Pencarrie• Plymouth & South Devon Co-operative• South Hams District Council• West Devon Borough Council • Vospers

“I recall little of myaccident, except thereassuring voice of an Air Ambulanceparamedic, who was calming andreassuring. The 11 minutes it took tofly from Axminster toExeter went by in ablur – thank God!”

Sarah

The people of Devon contribute over £4 million each year to keep theirtwo Air Ambulances flying and are entitled to know how their money isbeing spent. The Devon Air Ambulance Trust (DAAT) and its employeesare members of many professional bodies, including:

• FundRaising Standards Board

• The Lotteries Council

• Association of Air Ambulances

• Association of Charity Shops

• Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)

• A number of local business associations and networks.

Other affiliations include:

• DAAT’s Chief Executive is a Member of the Association of ChiefExecutives of Voluntary Organisations.

• The Fundraising Director is a Member of the Institute of Fundraising.

• The Finance Manager is a Member of the Charity Finance Directors’Group (CFDG).

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Giving with conf idence

Every £1 lotterymembershipgives back

66pto the charity

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If you are a taxpayer, Gift Aidmeans anadditional 28pin every £1 back to the charity

28p

How you can help

Put on a fundraising event Would you like to hold your own fundraising event? We can support you byproviding posters, publicity and general advice. Or if you would prefer to do asponsored event such as a headshave, parachute jump, slim or swim to namejust a few, we can help with a sponsorship pack too.

Become a volunteerWe really couldn’t do without our fantastic band of volunteers. Ourvolunteers’ roles vary from servicing our collection boxes, attending events,helping in our charity shops and cheque presentations, to giving talks togroups about the work we undertake. If you have time on your hands, eitheron a regular or occasional basis, why not find out about donating the gift oftime?

Visit our charity shopsOur charity shops are essential in not only raising funds, but also as a base inthe heart of the community which we serve. The goods we sell in our shopsare predominantly donated. This could be good quality new or second-handclothing, bric-a-brac, CDs, DVDs, or furniture, to name just a few examples. Wedo offer a collection service for large amounts and for furniture.

Join our lottery We run a successful in-house lottery, which costs only £1 a week per entry.This has a top weekly prize of £1,350, with second and third prizes of £135and a further 10 runners-up prizes of £50. Since it started in September 2001,it has contributed over £4.5 million to the charity.

Recycle for us We pride ourselves in being able to make money from items that are nolonger wanted. As well as our shops, mentioned above, we can also turn thefollowing into cash:• Mobile phones• Used stamps• Used printer cartridges

Corporate support If your company makes charitable donations annually or on a regular basiswhy not consider supporting us? Do your staff choose a charity of the year?Please consider us. You may be a Trustee or involved with a charitable trustwhich makes regular gifts. Again, why not contact us and find out more?

For information on any of the above and more, please get in touch. See contact details on the back page. We look forward to hearing from you!

VisionOur vision for Devon is to have an outstanding, independent andefficient air ambulance service, available to all, 24 hours a day.

MissionOur mission is to relieve sickness and injury in the county of Devonby assisting in the provision of an Air Ambulance Service.

ValuesAll our activities are informed by our values, which includecommunity, voluntary service, professionalism, independence andavailability to all.

Community – the Trust’s roots are firmly planted within the needsand wishes of the community we serve.

Volunteers – the Trust recognises that its volunteers are essentialto the charity through their contribution to fundraising, communityinvolvement, public relations, administration, practical support andcampaigning and will invest in training and developing our volunteerforce.

Professionalism –the Trust is committed to professionalism in allaspects of its work in order to ensure it delivers the best possibleservice within the resources available.

Independence – the Trust is completely independent of central orlocal government.

Availability to all – the Devon Air Ambulance service is free ofcharge and available to everyone.

DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST ANNUAL REVIEW 2009 15

If everyone in Devon donated just

Mission, vision & values

£3.65it would pay for theservice for a year

Registered OfficeDevon Air Ambulance Trust5 Sandpiper CourtHarrington LaneExeterDevon EX4 8NS

Charity Reg. No. 1077998

Telephone: 01392 466666Fax: 01392 464329Email: info@daat.orgWebsite: www.daat.org

Company Reg. No. 3855746

Photographs contained in this Annual Report courtesy of:Tony Cobley (www.tonycobley.com), Eurocopter UK,Nicola Courtier, Gerry Gleadall, Billy Griffiths, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust

We would like to thank Ashley House Printing Co Ltd for theirgenerous support with the printing of this Annual Report. Telephone: 01392 202320 www.ashley-house.co.uk

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