Omaze house draw raises record-breaking £4mn for London’s Air Ambulance Charity
Melanie May | 9 August 2024 | News
The money helps to take London’s Air Ambulance Charity past its long-running “Up Against Time” appeal target.
Since 2022, the charity has been fundraising for two new helicopters to replace its existing fleet, with a target of £15 million. Prior to the launch of the Omaze partnership the charity was £3 million short, but the Omaze campaign raised enough to bring the appeal total to £16 million. This means the charity will be able to bring the two new helicopters online and ready to serve London from October 2024.
Each year, it costs London’s Air Ambulance Charity £15 million to provide a 365 day a year, 24/7 service. It will cost an additional £15 million to replace its two current helicopters, bring each new helicopter into service and keep them flying for years to come.
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London’s Air Ambulance Charity CEO Jonathan Jenkins said:
“Two years ago, the charity launched its most ambitious ever fundraising effort, looking to raise an additional £15 million to replace its two current helicopters.
“It was a huge challenge, but we have been blown away by how people have shared our belief in our life-saving cause. Thanks to the record-breaking amount raised by the Omaze community, the appeal has now passed its £15 million target ahead of its September deadline, meaning the charity can continue to save lives across the city and be there whenever and wherever we are most needed.”
The partnership was backed by ex-England football captain & London’s Air Ambulance Charity supporter David Beckham.
Newly-wed couple Hillary McManus and her husband Franco, both originally from London but currently living in Nottinghamshire, won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw – a 4-bedroom property in London’s Victoria Park village with a gym, games area and spa facilities including a jacuzzi and sauna.
The property comes mortgage free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. The couple have also been given £250,000 in cash to help them settle in, and can decide to either live in the house, rent it out, or sell it.
Hillary, who bought the winning entry worth more than £5 million for just £20, has worked as an English teacher at a local secondary school in Nottingham for the past six years. She married her husband Franco, who is an information security analyst, in March this year.
James Oakes, Chief International Officer at Omaze, said:
“Everyone at Omaze is absolutely delighted that Hillary and Franco have won their dream home in London, whilst also contributing to our biggest ever raise of £4 million for London’s Air Ambulance Charity.
“Omaze gives people the chance to win amazing houses, like this incredible house in London, whilst also introducing charities to vast new audiences that would otherwise be out of reach. We’re immensely proud that the Omaze community has now raised over £51 million for good causes across the UK.”
The latest draw is for a house in Cornwall, which closes later this month.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.