Thanks to a bet made by myself and my cousin in Summer last year (thanks Nic!) I'm running the Marathon for Sussex Air Ambulance. 

Sussex was one of only a few counties in the UK that did not have its own dedicated Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, but this all changed in June 2007'

The Sussex Air Ambulance Appeal was launched in June 2005 by local actress Penelope Keith CBE. The appeal target was set at a quarter of a million pounds. The emergency helicopter was launched by a host of celebrities including Penelope Keith and Bernard Cribbins on June 8th 2007.

Responding swiftly to 999 calls, air ambulances are able to deliver a medical crew to the scene of an accident or medical emergency and to transport patients to the nearest major hospital or specialist unit, in a fraction of the time taken by a land ambulance. Sussex has a complete Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, and employ's the highest possible clinical standards in pre hospital care.

There are currently 15 independent air ambulance operators, all of which are registered charities and funded entirely by charitable donations, receiving no Government or National Lottery funding.

The challenge now, is to meet the yearly running costs of approximately £1.7 million to provide Sussex and neighboring Surrey with an emergency helicopter service, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

With your help we can keep this local service flying!