On 8th. December, David Skinner, Uckfield Lions representative with the Lions’ South East district, visited KSS Air Ambulance at Redhill aerodrome to inspect their latest rapid response vehicle. This is the 4th in their fleet, & they are needed to transport doctors & paramedics to the scene, when the weather prevents the helicopters from flying. In fact the RSV’s are used in about 40% of all call-outs. The delivery of this latest car brings the total contributed by Lions’ clubs in the South East, to £530.000 since 2012.
At present, helicopter pilots need to be able to see the ground in order to navigate from A to B. This is impossible in low cloud. So, the next advance is to acquire ‘PinS’, a device which will solve this problem. To install ‘PinS’, the helicopters will have to be modified. Uckfield & District Lions, together with their fellow Lions clubs in 105 SE district, have been asked to raise £120,000 over 2 years to modify one helicopter. It is estimated that all-weather flying will enable KSS Air Ambulance to reach an extra 150 patients per year.
Even after this, the RSV’s will still be vital for reaching local emergencies: 10 minutes from base by day, & 25 minutes by night.
Uckfield & District Lions’ next fund-raising event for KSS Air Ambulance will be the blue-bell walk at Arlington on 25th & 26th. April 2026. So come & enjoy the blue-bells in the Spring sun-shine, plus a slice of home-made cake & you will be giving to the KSS Air Ambulance fund.
