Del boy swaps Reliant Robin for a Helicopter!

The popular and well loved actor Sir David Jason, who made the role of Del Boy famous, has become the patron for the newly established Association of Air Ambulances, whose members include the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance.

Sir David, a keen helicopter pilot himself took an interest in the vital work of Air Ambulances, when he visited one of the bases recently. He said "An air ambulance takes off somewhere in the UK every ten minutes. Between them, they attend over 17,500 missions a year. They save many lives and improve the outcome of hundreds of others unfortunate enough to be involved in accidents and medical emergencies. As such, they play a vital role within our emergency response service and I'm delighted to support them, particularly as they receive no government funding.

"I'm looking forward to working with the AAA and getting to know more about these wonderful charities and the work they do in my role as patron."

The Association of Air Ambulances provides a forum for eighteen Charities, which include the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance, who provide cover across the South East.

Chief Executive David Philpott said "Sir David's involvement will also help us draw more public attention to the vital emergency role we fulfill. It's a privilege to have his support."

The launch of the Association of Air Ambulances took place on Monday November 10. A web site for the association has been set up at www.airambulanceassociation.co.uk/