BOSSES?of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight air ambulance were flying high after winning an Association of Air Ambulances Award of Excellence for its successful ‘Be a 999 Hero’ educational programme.

The awards ceremony took place on November 14 at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in Kensington, London.

Air ambulance chief executive Alex Lochrane said: “We are thrilled to be recognised for the success of our Be a 999 Hero programme and the part that it has played in spreading our lifesaving message to children aged four to 11 across our region.”

The programme is designed to teach young people about how to respond in an emergency and to highlight the importance of the air ambulance and other emergency services.

At the forefront of the campaign are five superhero characters, inspired by the charity’s team of paramedics, doctors and pilots.

The characters are featured on the website hiowaa.org/skyheroes56, specifically designed for young people so that they can access vital safety information, fundraising ideas, games and a news page of activity from across the region.

In addition, primary schools benefit from a 30-minute interactive presentation for pupils in class or assembly, plus a surprise visit from one of the charity’s three new mascots – Pilot Paws, Teddy Medic, and Herocopter.

Since launching the programme in October 2015, the charity has delivered its lifesaving message to more than 20,000 children in schools, clubs and nurseries across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Mr Lochrane continued: “We could not have achieved this without the support of our crew and a loyal band of volunteers who help to deliver our interactive presentation to children right across our region.

“This award goes as much to them and also to our brilliant corporate sponsor Knight Frank who have been hugely supportive at every stage.”

The air ambulance flies seven days per week and attends an average of two to three missions a day, many of which save lives.

The charity doesn’t receive any government, statutory or National Lottery funding for routine operations and is entirely dependent on donations received from the public, companies and grant-making bodies to keep it airborne and saving lives.