Major road upgrade’s on a fundraising drive to help Cornwall Air Ambulance

National Highways’ A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross upgrade is playing a part in raising vital funds for the Cornwall Air Ambulance.

Costain, principal contractors for the A30 dualling scheme, adopted the charitable trust at the start of construction in 2020 and set a target of raising £20,000 for Cornwall’s critical care response team.

The public-funded charity undertakes more than 1,000 missions each year, across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and relies on corporate and public donations and fundraising to maintain and operate its helicopter and rapid response land vehicles.

And so far, the integrated project team have contributed more than £9,000 towards the team’s operating costs.

The funds have been raised through a number of initiatives within the team, including collection tins, donations, a crochet sale, vending machine monies and Easter and Christmas raffle events.

John Lee, Costain Project Director for the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross scheme, said: “We have a clear purpose to improve people’s lives and enhance the value that we contribute to society, the project team were immediately struck by the critical work of Cornwall Air Ambulance and we’re proud to be supporting the team and its work.

“The team here have taken Cornwall Air Ambulance to their heart and it’s been fantastic to see their efforts raising these vital and much-needed funds.”

The fundraising initiative has been supported by various contractors within the project team and among the activities this year, Costain are planning ongoing fundraising for the air ambulance team, along with a number of events, including a cream tea open day, an Easter raffle and a sponsored skydive.

Jordan Fortune, National Highways’ Assistant Project Manager for the scheme, is one of the team members planning the fundraising skydive, and he added: “The air ambulance provides such a valuable and vital service for Cornwall and we’re happy to be doing our bit to help raise funds – even if it means conquering some of our fears later this year.”

Julia Jeffery, Corporate Fundraising Officer at Cornwall Air Ambulance, said: “We are extremely grateful to Costain for committing to raising such an incredible amount of money for Cornwall Air Ambulance.

“Generous donations like this help us to raise our vital funds, making sure the critical care paramedics can continue their lifesaving work across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and we’re indebted to the support which helps to keep more families together.”

The multi-million pound A30 upgrade is scheduled to be open to traffic in winter 2023 and further information on the scheme is available at National Highways’ A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross web page.

The cost of developing the scheme is being partly funded by an £8 million contribution from the European Regional Development Fund, with an additional £12 million for the construction phase. The remainder of the cost of developing and delivering the scheme is being funded by central Government.

People wanting more details on the charitable trust and how to support their work can log on to on the Cornwall Air Ambulance website.