We are delighted to announce the official launch of our ‘Save A Life Challenge’.

The ‘Save a Life Challenge’ is part of our ‘20 Years By Your Side’ initiative and asks you to show your support by making a one-off donation (of any amount) towards the campaign, or pledging to actively fundraise in aid of us, with an aim of raising £3,000 (the approximate cost of one life-saving mission).

To kick-start the campaign, we are thrilled that Maisie Sheridan, one of our young patients, has co-written and recorded a song called ‘Flying Heroes’. She has attracted the help of local Singer/Songwriter Ed Hintze and Producer David Payne to create the song and Harbour Media to produce the accompanying video, which has officially been launched this evening.

On this day, four years ago, Maisie was involved in a serious road traffic incident when she was hit by a camper van on her way to a dance class; our team was called to her aid. After being treated at the scene and airlifted to hospital, she was rushed to resus where tests showed that she had fractured her skull and eye socket and that she had a couple of lesions on her brain. She had soft tissue damage to her groin and knee and road burns to her torso. Due to the impact, Maisie lost a layer of skin from her face; when she talks about this today, she simply says that she ‘lost some of her freckles!’

The incident could well have changed Maisie’s attitude on life for the worse, however it has made her stronger and more determined to help others and do what she can in support of our life-saving charity.

Maisie’s song, ‘Flying Heroes’ is also available to stream and download (for 99p) from all major music sites (SpotifyAmazon MusiciTunesApple Music) with all proceeds from the streaming and digital sales being donated to ourselves for the period of one year from the date of release. More information and a video to accompany the song can be found by visiting Maisie's fundraising page.

Now 15, and speaking of why she wants ‘Flying Heroes’ to raise funds for us, Maisie said:

“I know first-hand how incredible the team at Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance are. Without their intervention, my story may well have had a different ending. It is because of public donations that they were able to help save my life. I want to continue doing my bit to try and ensure that others are also able to receive the same life-saving treatment, should they ever need it. Saying thank you will never be enough, but I hope that my song, in support of the Save a Life Challenge, shows how very grateful I will always be.”

Tracy Bartram, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Communications Manager said:

“This year we anticipated marking our 20th Anniversary with a number of key events and activities. Many of our supporters also had plans to raise funds and awareness of our life-saving work. Unfortunately, all of these were cancelled or put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We hope that our Save a Life Challenge will appeal to the public and give them a chance to do whatever they can to help fund the cost of as many life-saving missions as possible.

“If you are an individual and would like to donate any amount you can afford, or a business, group or team who want to try and raise the cost of one mission, you will find all the information you need on our campaign page.

"There you can even set up your own fundraising page and ask your family and friends to support/sponsor you - every penny raised really will make a big difference and enable us to continue saving lives.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Maisie is the first person to join our Save a Life Challenge with the release of this incredible song. We hope that when people hear the song and see the video to accompany it, they will be inspired to donate.”

Our Save a Life Challenge will run until March 2021. At that point, we will announce how much has been raised and the number of life-saving missions that our supporters have helped to fund.