A starring role for the Air Ambulance Northern Ireland at Belfast’s Grand Opera House

The Grand Opera House is thrilled to announce a new two-year charity partnership with Air Ambulance Northern Ireland.

Air Ambulance Northern Ireland is a local charity working alongside the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service to provide a helicopter emergency medical service. The Air Ambulance can fly to anywhere in Northern Ireland in approximately 25 minutes, and the rapid response provided by the charity is vital in emergency situations. Each day this service requires fundraising of £5,500, that equates to £2 million each year to keep the Air Ambulance service operational.

During the next two years, Grand Opera House staff will raise funds through an on-going programme of events and activities, and audiences will have the opportunity to support this valuable medical service through bucket collections at performances.

Announcing the new partnership, Grand Opera House Chief Executive Ian Wilson said: “Grand Opera House staff, performers and theatregoers have a long history of supporting local charities, and I hope our exciting new partnership with the Air Ambulance service will help raise awareness of its work and, more importantly, raise essential funds to ensure it can continue to deliver this lifesaving service for Northern Ireland.”

Kerry Anderson, Head of Fundraising at the charity said: “On behalf of everyone at Air Ambulance NI we would like to thank Grand Opera House for choosing the charity. The medical team are called upon to a seriously ill or injured patient twice a day on average. Whether it’s a serious road traffic collision, fall, sudden cardiac arrest, incident during sports, at home or work our medical team are airborne in minutes providing pre-hospital care that can be the difference between life and death. Every donation will make a difference.”