Medics on a high at £50k donation towards cost of new helipad at Sheffield hospital

The HELP (Helicopter Emergency Landing Pads) Appeal donated the cash to help raise the £2 million needed to build a new helipad at the Northern General Hospital.

Patients currently flown to the hospital need to be transferred to he major trauma centre by ambulance but the new helipad, which is due to be ready to use this spring, is next to the centre - speeding up the time it takes to get patients into the hospital for treatment.

Over the last two years HELP has donated £1 million towards the cost of the project.

It is the only UK charity dedicated to funding the construction of hospital helipads.

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of HELP, said: “We feel very passionate about this project and are very excited that construction is nearing completion.

“Our grant will go towards supporting the costs for this helipad, which will serve patients across South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and East Midlands.

“The HELP Appeal has been involved from the very beginning – committing £1 million at the very start of this life saving project, through to seeing the first building work taking place in June 2015. Having this new helipad will make a huge difference to critically ill patients in the region.”

David Reynolds, Director of the Sheffield Hospitals Charity, which is coordinating the helipad fundraising appeal, said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to the HELP Appeal for their very generous donations. Thanks to their support we are now even closer to achieving our fundraising target for our helipad appeal.

“Sheffield Hospitals Charity are still raising funds towards the helipad and we hope to conclude the appeal during 2016.

“We are at a critical stage in the project and I’d like to urge anybody who can, to get behind our appeal and help us to fund this vital development.”

The Sheffield Hospitals Charity invests more than £2 million a year in patient and family support, equipment, pioneering research and improving facilities.