Broadclyst gets new night landing site for Devon Air Ambulance
Devon Air Ambulance will now be able to land safely in Broadclyst at night due to a new community landing site at Broadclyst Recreation Field. New landing site lighting, operated remotely by the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services, has been installed at the Recreation Field to facilitate emergency night operations. This new facility is partly funded by East Devon District Council and Devon County Council through their Parishes Together Fund, and partly funded by Devon Air Ambulance (DAA) through funding from the Bank Libor fines. It will be looked after by Broadclyst Parish Council.
£2,800 of the funding needed for the project came from the Parishes Together Fund. Designed to provide financial solutions to local issues, the Parishes Together Fund is a joint East Devon District Council and Devon County Council initiative in which the sum of £1.10 per elector - £1 from Devon County Council and 10p from EDDC - in each parish is put into a central pot, which parish and town councils can then apply to for funding towards community projects. Broadclyst, Rewe, Cranbrook, Poltimore and Clyst Honiton parish councils all put some of their available Parishes Together Fund monies towards the scheme. The remaining £2,456 of funding came through a Devon Air Ambulance grant.
Quite a few of East Devon’s town and parish councils haven’t yet applied to the Parishes Together Fund this financial year. Applications have to come from town and parish councils, but voluntary and community groups, schools and other organisations can put their ideas forward to their town or parish council. You can find out more about the fund online: eastdevon.gov.uk/grants-and-funding/parishes-together-fund
Councillor Phil Twiss, Deputy Leader of East Devon District Council and member of the Parishes Together Fund decision making panel said: “These floodlit landing sites will make sure paramedics can be brought into the heart of the community, delivering an essential night time service. We were very pleased to be able to give some funding to this worthy project. I would like to say a big well done to all the parishes involved and Broadclyst Parish Council in particular for leading on the project and working hard to make it happen.”
Toby Russell, Community Landing Sites Officer at DAA said: “We are delighted that a night landing site is now operational in Broadclyst, enabling us to deliver an emergency service until midnight every day and longer when we extend operations again in the future. Our grateful thanks to local councillors and Broadclyst Parish Council for driving the project to completion and also to the funders who supported the new landing site lighting through the Parishes Together Fund.”
Cllr Chris Pepper, Broadclyst Parish Council Chairman and East Devon Ward Member, added: “The helipad is one of those things that we all hope we will never need but will be very glad of should the need arise. The support for the project through the Parish Together Fund and Libor bank fines has kept the project almost cost-neutral to the community, for which we are very grateful. Since its opening the community helipad has enabled the Devon Air Ambulance to help several members of our community; the disruption from landings is minimal.”
Cllr John Hart, Leader of Devon County Council said: “The Towns and Parishes Together fund encourages local communities to identify projects that will make a real and positive difference to their town or village. We’re really pleased to see the fund being used innovatively to provide an essential emergency service which, although it will helpfully not be needed, will be of real benefit to Broadclyst.”
