The North West Air Ambulance Charity (NWAA) is launching an appeal for new volunteers as it begins to reopen some of its 14 charity stores, including its Berry Lane shop in Longride, which opened on Tuesday (July 7).

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, the charity has kept in touch with its volunteering team to monitor wellbeing and ensure no one feels isolated or left behind.

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Operating seven days a week, 365 days a year, last year NWAA attended 2,466 missions, delivering emergency pre-hospital care to the most critically ill and injured patients across the North West.

It does not receive Government funding, instead relying on public support and dedicated volunteers, who play an important role in helping the charity raise £9.5m a year to remain operational.

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Helen Doward, NWAA’s head of volunteering, said: “The last few months have been difficult for many charities, with COVID-19 forcing stores to close and suspending volunteering activity.

“The resilience our volunteers have shown in lockdown has been amazing though, with most of the team raring to get back to their roles once safe to do so.

“It’s been heart warming to have volunteers continuing to show our charity and each other a great deal of support, despite not being able to volunteer.

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“The charity has carefully planned out the phased reopening of our stores, ensuring social distancing is adhered to and installing clear till barriers to keep our teams and customers safe.

“With some of our existing volunteers unable to return for the time being, we’re looking for new people to join our Longridge store.

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“You’ll be supported by a brilliant team and in-house training, and we aim to help people get as much out of volunteering as possible, whether that’s learning new skills or meeting new people. It’s a great way to get involved in your community whilst donating your time to a truly life-saving service.”

To volunteer, conntact Helen and her team via email, by calling 0800 587 4570 or visiting the charity’s website.

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