Devon Air Ambulance chair heads to Everest Base Camp

Devon Air Ambulance Trust Former Chair, Anita Newcombe, along with her husband Richard, will undertake an intrepid trek to Everest Base Camp to raise funds for Devon Air Ambulance’s new Night Flying Programme.

Anita had been a trustee of DAAT for the last 6 years, Chair of the Board of Trustees for the last 4 years and completed her tenure in May 2017.  To mark her departure from the Board and her handover to the incoming Chair, Anita has chosen to raise funds by undertaking this exciting and challenging 18-day expedition.

Anita and Richard will fly into Kathmandu, Nepal, in November 2017, before flying onto one of the world’s most extreme airports, the Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla. From Lukla they will undertake an 8-day trek to Everest Base Camp. After arriving there, they will summit the peak of Kala Patthar, 5545 metres overlooking Base Camp. This will be followed by another 4-day trek back to Lukla. 

Anita said, “We are doing this to raise funds for Devon Air Ambulance's night flying. Flying hours have been extended to midnight, which is vital but carries significant extra costs. As 'Team Nightcopter' we will go to the top of the world to help Devon Air Ambulance carry out rescues in the hours of darkness.”

DAA CEO Helena Holt added, “Anita has been an inspirational Chair, leading the organisation through many exciting developments. We will all be looking forward to following Anita and Richard on their intrepid adventure.”

Proud to be independent of government and National Lottery funding, it costs £5.5million every year to keep Devon’s Air Ambulances flying. Due to the fantastic support that DAA receives from people like Anita they extended their service to operate until midnight in November 2016.

You can follow Anita’s journey and support her via her Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/NEWCOMBES