Annual Charity Appeal Announced

This year’s chosen charity for our Charity Crusade is the Northern Ireland Air Ambulance, which provides crucial emergency healthcare in exceptional and remote circumstances.

Air Ambulance NI, in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS), provides the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for the region.

Serious or life-threatening situations can happen to anyone at any time and on average, every single day in Northern Ireland, one individual finds themselves in desperate need of AANI.

The charity’s operational helicopter carries a crew compiling pilot, doctor, and paramedic, 365 days of the year operating for twelve hours every day.  They attend some of the most traumatic medical incidents across the province and are dedicated to delivering the very best possible pre- hospital care, both at the scene and whilst transferring the patient to the most appropriate hospital for their specific injuries.

Their EC135 helicopter can get anywhere in the province in approximately twenty-five to thirty minutes and the rapid response is vital in an emergency situation.  If a patient reaches hospital within the Golden Hour (60 minutes after their injury) their chances of survival are dramatically increased.

Each day costs in the region of £5,500 and £2m is needed each year to keep the air ambulance service operational.  It relies entirely on support from the public and local businesses, and this year we will at out annual church service and other specific events be raising money for this vital community service.

The Knights of Malta are a hospitaler order and for almost 1000 years have been involved in caring for the sick and injured. Just as our fore-bearers began and indeed pioneered healthcare and hospital services in the Holy Land, we today help in a range of  hospital and medical charities.

The Knights Hospitalers were pioneers, and even in the teeth of conflict with the forces of Islam, took time to learn from them and incorporated many elements of Muslim healthcare. Today we embrace the same pioneering spirit and the latest innovation we are proud to support is the aim ambulance.

VISION, MISSION AND VALUES

Vision: A world class helicopter emergency medical service for the people of Northern Ireland.

Mission: To provide outstanding critical care where and when it’s needed most.

These are values and objectives the Knights of Malta share and support. From our origins and first hospital in Jerusalem to the great hospital on Malta that brought fame and respect to the Knights, we have supported the care of the sick. The hospital in Malta, the Sacra Infermeria (Holy Infirmary),  established methods that are now standard practice, such as frequently changing the bed linen and using clean (silver) plates and utensils to prevent bacterial infection. The Sacra Infermeria also employed chemists who were known for their inventive curatives such as using  honey to treat wounds. In its day, the Hospital of the Knights could shelter 900 patients and charitably admitted everyone—from beggars and slaves to the aristocracy, an unusually non-discriminatory practice for that time.

Knights of Malta Charity Crusade 2019

Proud to be partnering with the NI Air Ambulance to keep them in the air.

The NIAA has issued us with some helpful ideas and guidance on fundraising, so help us to help them with our annual appeal and let us keep this valuable service in the air