FORMULA One racing legend Nigel Mansell has become the latest high profile name to be made an ambassador for the Midlands Air Ambulance charity.
The Upton-upon-Severn born star’s new role will see him help raise awareness of the charities lifesaving work.
Mansell, who won the Formula One World Championship in the early 1990s, joins a long list of stars from the world of sport and entertainment to support the charity including former Top Gear host Richard Hammond and fellow ex racing driver David Coulthard.
The Midlands Air Ambulance, located in Strensham – just eleven miles from Mansell’s home town, is one of the longest serving air ambulance charities in the UK but each year it has to raise £6m to keep its three helicopters airborne 365 days per year.
Since its inception in 1991 it has airlifted and helped save over 40,000 lives covering a population in excess of 5 million people across Worcestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Birmingham and the West Midlands making it also one of the busiest in the UK.
In the last 12 months alone the charity has attended 1,048 road traffic accidents on some of the most congested motorway networks in the country, responded to 175 industrial accidents, 432 sporting injuries and airlifted 188 children.
Mansell, who has 31 Formula One Grand Prix victories to his illustrious career and is the only person in racing history to have held the titles of Formula One and CART champion simultaneously. “I am delighted to support and raise awareness of the lifesaving work of the Midlands
Air Ambulance which has such a close connection to Formula One and motorsport and to every one of us who drives on Britain’s busiest roads and motorway networks each day.
“We only ever appreciate the real value of the air ambulance when we maybe unfortunate to either be in a road traffic accident or indeed to witness one.
“We are also all too often reminded of the incredible lifesaving work of the air ambulances in Formula One and motorsport, when many of our friends are airlifted from serious crashes on the circuits.”
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity cheif executive Hanna Sebright added: “Nigel is loved both by the British public, fans of Formula One and many people across the wider Midlands region.
“It is truly fitting that he should choose to highlight and support the valuable work of the Midlands Air Ambulance charity.”
Visit www.midlandsairambulance.com/ about-us.php for more information.
