Health-on-Line raises £3,000 for charity

Health-on-Line have raised £3,000 for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. To commend them for their charity efforts, Health-on-Line’s charity panel were recently invited by the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance to visit its air base at Henstridge Airfield where they were able to present the charity with the cheque.

Employees from Health-on-Line were given an exclusive tour of the air ambulance by both a pilot and a paramedic who kindly talked them through the lifesaving equipment on board the helicopter. As part of their visit the charity panel were able to witness the air ambulance in action and on its way to an important emergency.

Charley Smith, a member of the Health-on-Line Charity Panel said:

“Suddenly a loud bell rang around the airfield, the faces of both the pilot and the paramedic changed, and they said “That’s a job, please clear the area” and pointed us to an area that was a suitable distance away for us to stand. The pilot started the engine and waited for 2 paramedics to join him, within 3 minutes they had left for their job.”

She continued: “This was a fantastic trip and one that I am pleased to have been able to go on, it’s amazing seeing it all in action and seeing the hard work the charity puts in to protect the lives of those living in the Dorset and Somerset area.”

Over the last few months the private health insurance firm has been working closely with staff from its Bournemouth office to come up with innovative ideas on how they can raise vital funds for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, a charity which receives no government funding.

In July to celebrate the English tradition that is Wimbledon, staff were invited to take part in a tennis themed charity day. The company’s Charity Panel took to each floor of its Bournemouth-based offices to serve up scrumptious strawberries and cream and sell special ‘Wimbledon ballot’ style tickets for a chance to win an array of fantastic prizes.

Despite the disappointment of Murray being knocked out by Federer during the semi-finals, the day itself was a great success with the Health-on-Line team managing to raise £973.  

Coinciding with the sports-themed charity activities and its massive success so far, in early October staff were invited to take part in not only one but two unique events.

To kick off, employees from across its four floors were asked to get their football boots ready to take part in a Football Tournament organised by staff from Health-on-Line.

On the same day employees were also asked to get involved and volunteer at the Bournemouth Marathon. Volunteers were tasked with re-hydrating and boosting the moral of passing marathon runners including the inspirational Steve Edwards who completed his 700^th Marathon on the day. Both events were extremely successful in terms of bringing staff together and helped to raise an extra £1,470 for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

With the contribution of other fundraising activities, such as a Halloween Bake Sale and re-sale of unused office furniture staff over the last few months, Health-on-Line therefore were very pleased to announce that the grand total raised had reached £3,000.

The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance provide relief to the sick and injured via its air ambulance service. Since its launch in 2000 the Charity has attended thousands of incidents. Its operational costs are over £2 million a year and they can attend up to 9 incidents per day with each costing around £2,500. To find out more about the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance please visit dsairambulance.org.uk

This initiative falls under the Company’s ongoing CSR programme which has been put in place to support local community and charities. The programme has included sponsorship of under 9’s football team Dexters, the support of community project, Shore Ideas and raising funds for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Mosaic and Hope For Food.

Find out more about Health-on-Line’s work within the local community and the support it provides to charities within the Dorset area.