IN celebration of its 20th birthday this month, the North West Air Ambulance Charity (NWAA) are calling on the public to ‘raise a mug’ in honour of its life-saving crew.

The Brew with the Crew campaign intends to ‘bring the North West together over tea, coffee and cake, to keep its air ambulance crews in the sky’, with respect to the approximately 6,782 brews missed out by the Blackpool and Barton air ambulance crew each year due to mission call outs.

The crew, who treat critically injured patients across the North West, are urging Chester residents to make a ‘life-saving impact’ by holding a cake and coffee-themed fundraising event.

The charity is appealing for any size donation, with just £9 able to fuel one of NWAA’s three helicopters for one minute of a mission, and £25 enough to purchase a warming blanket to maintain the body temperature of a severe trauma patient.

Andy Duncan, Lead Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Paramedic at the charity, said: “To be able to celebrate our 20th birthday is testament to the fantastic support of our amazing fundraisers and volunteers. As an organisation which is entirely dependent on charitable contributions, we quite literally couldn’t do it without them.”

Heather Arrowsmith, CEO at the North West Air Ambulance Charity, said: “Building on the success of Brew with the Crew last year, we’re now looking forward to kick-starting our 20th birthday celebrations in style.”

To receive your free fundraising pack complete with games, recipes, bunting and much more – head to www.nwaa.net/bwtc, call 0800 587 4570 or contact fundraising@nwaa.net.