Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) is proud to launch its Summer Raffle, where the biggest win isn’t just for the lucky ticket holders. Every £1 ticket sold is an investment in the ongoing professional development of GWAAC’s specialist crew—essential for providing the best care possible to people in urgent need of critical care.
GWAAC brings the skills and equipment of a hospital emergency department to the most critically ill and injured in its region and demand for its service is higher than ever. James Leavor and Waldo Zweep are two of GWAAC’s newest recruits, training to be Specialist Paramedics in Critical Care (SPCC). They have gone through a competitive recruitment process and rigorous training to get to where they are now; it takes two years to become a fully trained SPCC.
Trainee SPCC James says, “The hardest part of this job so far is the weight you feel on your shoulders when you arrive at the scene. You see people visibly relax and there’s an expectation that you will know, in seconds, exactly what to do and exactly how to do it. It’s difficult not to feel the pressure of that, but the training and support I’m receiving gives me confidence to do my absolute best for every patient.”
Trainee SPCC Waldo says, ”There is a huge amount of effort from the community that goes into me being able to put on my uniform and come to work in the morning – from buying things in our shops, to making donations, to buying a raffle ticket!”
Emergency medicine doesn’t stay still and the only way for GWAAC’s crew to stay prepared for anything is through regular, ongoing training. With the charity receiving no day-to-day government funding and relying entirely on the local community to keep flying, the Summer Raffle is a fantastic way to get involved and make a difference! Tickets are just £1 each, with a top prize of £2,500 on offer. Tickets can be purchased by visiting raffle.gwaac.com or by visiting any of GWAAC’s 12 charity shops. Your ticket to £2,500 could be their ticket to lifesaving skills.
Players must be 18 years old or over to enter. Entry closing dates are Monday 18 August by post and Monday 25 August online. The raffle draw date is Wednesday 27 August 2025.
About GWAAC
GWAAC provides the critical care and air ambulance service for 2.1 million people across Gloucestershire, Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, and parts of Wiltshire.
In 2024, GWAAC was called to a record number of incidents. The specialist crew responded to 2,272 people in urgent need of critical care — an increase of around 15% compared to 2023. In Gloucestershire, 621 people needed the skills of GWAAC’s specialist team making it the charity’s busiest year ever for Gloucestershire.
And did you know that although GWAAC responds to more people in urgent need by helicopter in Gloucestershire than other regions, you’re still more likely to see the crew out and about in Gloucestershire in one of their fully-equipped critical care cars. The crew responded to 66% of call-outs by critical care car in Gloucestershire last year.
