REACHING for the skies, Holsworthy Town Council will work alongside Devon Air Ambulance Trust to establish a possible site for a community helipad, writes Zoë Uglow.

The council has been asked by Devon Air Ambulance Trust to suggest sites in the Holsworthy area that it deems appropriate for a community helipad.

Suggested sites have included Stanhope Park, the tennis courts or ground near Holsworthy Medical Centre.

A community helipad development officer will be sent from the Devon Air Ambulance team to assess the suggested sites and work alongside the town to provide the best resource deemed suitable for Holsworthy.

The air ambulance service is only able to operate until 9pm in the summer months and last year it was able to attend to more than 50 extra patients during the longer days.

The charity wants to be able to extend the operating hours to night-time flying and to do this it needs community helipads.

Community helipad development officer Toby Russell said: “At this current time we are unable to fly during the hours of darkness and have to stop our service at around 5pm.

“Part of our vision is to eventually offer a 24-hour service. Through the ‘Make Night Time Flight Time’ campaign we aim to extend flying time up to midnight by the end of this year and the installation of a network of community helipads is an essential part of realising that ambition.

“This is a long term strategic move for the Devon Air Ambulance Trust and we will be working with parishes and towns over the coming years to help them develop their own pre-surveyed floodlit landing site, which will ensure our paramedics can be brought into the heart of their community delivering an essential night-time service.”

Devon Air Ambulance Trust must raise £4.5-million each year in order to deliver its vital service. It must begin building reserves that can be used to support its plans for the growth of the extended operating hours.

The community helipads will require sufficient lighting in order to guide in the helicopters and aid the paramedics as they provide a ‘night-time’ service.

They will be developed and funded by the community but councils will receive support throughout to ensure the best possible outcome for the town.

Mr Russell added: “Thanks to the generous support of the people of Devon we have funding in place to install spotlights on the helicopters and to provide night vision goggles for the pilots and crew. We are now keen to work with parish and town councils to establish the best sites for these helipads.

“Each helipad is developed and funded by the community but we are here to work closely with councils to help them identify the best possible site and by supporting them through identifying potential funding opportunities available.

“Towns like Holsworthy are able to either make use of existing facilities, such as floodlighting in a sports court or a pole in the area suitable to attach LED lighting to, or if this is not possible the community would need to install a column with lights, which will be controlled remotely.

“The next step will be for us to hold informal talks with Holsworthy Town Council and the wider community to help inform them and talk more broadly about the possible costs involved, location and development of their own community helipad.”

Mayor Cllr John Allen said: “I greatly support the idea of having a helipad in Holsworthy so the air ambulance is able to extend its hours and increase the help and support they can provide us.

“We are a rural area and it can only be a good thing for us to have a helipad nearby.

“Many residents would have to travel for up to an hour across rural roads in order to reach a major hospital and the service they provide is an invaluable one.”