A Wiltshire charity is flying high after receiving a £4,500 donation from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks' (SSEN) staff based at the distribution operator's depot in Melksham.

Kind-hearted colleagues from SSEN's Melksham site chose Wiltshire Air Ambulance to be the recipient of the funds they had accrued from their sports and social club pot; a group set up to organise outings for colleagues in their spare time and to let them enjoy sporting and social events together outside of work.

Established 30 years ago, Wiltshire Air Ambulance relies on donations to continue its vital work; being called to over 2,200 lifesaving missions in the last year alone, at a cost of around £3.75 million. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the charity has been able to continue bringing enhanced clinical skills, medication and lifesaving equipment to the scene, whilst taking the necessary precautions to protect its staff and patients.

Craig Rankin, SSEN's Head of Region explains more about his colleagues' charity choice:

"The SSEN Melksham Social Club was set up so colleagues from across the depot could attend events together, and has been especially important to staff who have moved in to the town and might not have a ready-made group of friends in the area.

"As coronavirus restrictions meant that our activities during 2020 were curtailed, the pot of membership contributions had grown and collectively the club decided that it was fitting to gift that money to a local charity.

"Wiltshire Air Ambulance has served this region for many years and, at SSEN, we wanted to thank them for all of their work; giving them a little lift as we head in to the summer months, and what can potentially be a very busy time for them."

Wiltshire Air Ambulance Fundraising Manager, Des Regan said:

"It's been a really tough time for all charities as the pandemic has forced us to cancel all fundraising events, costing us around £500,000 in income. That said, we have been taken aback by the response from the public and locally based companies like SSEN, who we can't thank enough for deciding to support our charity."