Pub ‘swear box’ donations have contributed towards £1,019 presented to the Kent air ambulance.
Regulars at the Lord Byron pub in Margate raised the cash over the last 12 months, with card school customers putting money in the pub bottle as a swear fine and also game winners donating 50p a time. Money was also raised through meat raffles, quizzes and newspaper headline games.
Pub owner Tony Palmer and landlady, Tony’s daughter Samantha, along with pub quiz master Stephen Todd, handed the cheque to David Duncombe, from the air ambulance, last night (March 17).
Margate fireman Tony took over the pub last July and is only the seventh landlord in the Byron Avenue boozer’s 122-year history.
He said: “We chose the air ambulance as I am a full-time firefighter and we use them and see them (air ambulance) a lot.
“They do not receive any money (from organisations) and rely on fundraising.”
David added: “We are very pleased to be supported like this. It is not the first time we have been to the Lord Byron for a donation and we are pleased that donations like this mean we can be there for people.
“We have already had 430 call outs since January 1 and without money we would not be able to do that.”
The Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance Trust provides a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS), responding to patients who have suffered trauma or serious medical emergencies.
The charity operates 24 hours a day and medical crews can provide highly specialist care at the scene.
Around half of the patients they treat are taken to regional major trauma centres, ensuring they can get the care they urgently need without delay.
As a charity, they rely almost entirely on donations and fundraising. Without this support, they could not continue their life-saving work.