In January 2016 London Air Ambulance (LAA) invested in their second air ambulance to cover the Greater London area. This was made possible by the fund raising efforts of companies and individuals around London, but in no small part to the generosity of London Masons, raising a staggering £2.1 million.  Continuing that support, a grant of £4,000 has been made by London Freemasons.

During 2019, Freemasons from around the country will be presenting 20 regional air ambulances with grants totalling £180,000. The grant, which comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, is funded by Freemasons and their families from across England and Wales.

Metropolitan Grand Charity Steward, W Bro. Tony Shields was delighted to attend London’s Air Ambulance 30th anniversary celebrations earlier this year and hear the ambitious plans for the future and how they propose to build better awareness of the charity over the coming years – “saving more lives” 

Patients are at the heart of what they do and pioneering spirit continues to drive constant self-evaluation and innovation to understand what can be done to save more lives. 

In England, severe injury is the biggest killer of people under 40 years old. Road traffic accidents, falls from height, industrial accidents, assaults and injuries on the rail network kill more people under 40 than heart disease or cancer combined. Attending only the most severely injured people, London’s Rapid Response medical trauma teams treat on average five people a day in life changing situations.

Tony Shields commented, “London Masons are delighted to be able to support this vital London life saving service. This is another example of Freemasons supporting the London community. This donation follows on from a £1,250,000 donation, of a £2.5 million funding pledge from London Freemasons to London Fire Brigade. The funding will provide London Fire Brigade with two extended height aerial vehicles.”