The Air Ambulance NI has been agreed by the Stormont Assembly staff as their designated ‘charity of the year’.
Speaker Edwin Poots made the announcement in the Great Hall on Tuesday, marking the start of a year-long programme of staff-led events which aims to raise £10,000 to help fund the charity.
The DUP MLA said: “”Air Ambulance NI topped the poll following that staff vote. Assembly staff have been extremely generous in the past in their annual efforts to support charity and I know that there will be huge efforts to design events and activities for staff and others in order to raise as much as possible for this vital service.
“Members have also been generous in supporting this fundraising and the Assembly Commission and I are delighted to be involved in these efforts with staff.”
Air Ambulance NI works in partnership with the Ambulance Service here to provide a ‘Helicopter Emergency Medical Service’ (HEMS) - and every day, two people in Northern Ireland need its services.
“The charity depends entirely on donations – but it takes £2.5 million each year just to keep it operational,” Mr Poots added.
“Assembly staff and all of us are delighted to be able to contribute to this in some small way, and I am looking forward to seeing the fundraising plans get underway.”
