THE GREAT Western Air Ambulance charity has announced that it is launching a summer raffle, where proceeds will go towards the development of their specialist crews.

With no funding from the government, the charity relies on donations made through fundraisers like this and community support in order to continue their service.

Tickets are just £1 each, but has a top prize of £2,500 on offer. Tickets can be purchased by going onto the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity’s (GWAAC) website or by visiting any of their 12 charity shops.

Players must be 18 years old or over to enter, with the closing dates to enter are Monday August 18 by post and Monday August 25 online. The raffle draw itself will take place on Wednesday August 27.

GWAAC trainee SPCC Waldo Zweep says, ”There is a huge amount of effort from the community that goes into me being able to put on my uniform and come to work in the morning – from buying things in our shops, to making donations, to buying a raffle ticket.”

GWAAC provides their service to 2.1 million people across Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Bristol, and neighbouring counties.

In 2024, GWAAC was called to a record number of incidents. The specialist crew responded to 2,272 people in urgent need of critical care — an increase of around 15 per cent compared to 2023.

In Bath and North East Somerset, 123 people required treatment provided by their specialist team, which is 22 more people than the previous year.

Overall, an air ambulance was required for people in Bath and North East Somerset on 309 occasions. The crew of GWAAC responded to 40 per cent of these call-outs, with the remainder serviced by two neighbouring air ambulance crews.