Members and guests of The Candlewick Ward Club spent an afternoon at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel as guests of London's Air Ambulance Charity for what was an incredibly memorable afternoon!

Our visit began with a fascinating presentation from Stuart Fitch, Director of Operations, who opened our eyes to a fact: London's Air Ambulance is a charity, It's a service so woven into the fabric of the city that you rather assume it must be funded by the NHS or the government but it is funded by Londoners.

A few remarkable things we learned:

• ·It costs approximately £14 million per yearto keep this 24/7, 365-day advanced trauma service flying, with an average mission cost of £3,446

• The service can reach anywhere within the M25 in just 11 minutes, with an average flight time of only 7.5 minutes

• 73% of missions are actually delivered by their fleet of Volvo XC90 rapid response cars, with only 27% by helicopter

• Their crews deliver hospital-grade interventions at the roadside, including REBOA, thoracotomy, anaesthesia, and ECMO, the first such team in the UK

• The recent "Up Against Time" appeal which was supported by many livery companies raised £15 million to fund two brand-new Airbus EC135 helicopters

From the presentation, we were taken into the operations room beneath the helipad, where the fire crew, pilots and medical teamwork within steps of the aircraft, ready to respond the moment a call comes in.

The highlight, of course, was ascending to the rooftop helipad at 284ft, one of the highest in Europe and almost the same height as Big Ben. Standing beside the helicopter, with sweeping views across London

A very special thank you to our club member and trustee of the London Air Ambulance Nick Goodwyn, whose kindness and charitable efforts made this remarkable visit possible.

Our thanks also go to Stuart Fitch and the entire London's Air Ambulance team for their generous hospitality, their candour, and above all for the extraordinary work they do bringing hope to every emergency.

If you didn't know London's Air Ambulance is a charity now you do.

They rely on donations to stay in the air and on the road, and any support, however modest, genuinely helps.

Learn more: londonsairambulance.org.uk