Wiltshire IT services and solutions company Mintivo has launched a charity partnership with Wiltshire Air Ambulance to help keep the lifesaving service in the air.
The Chippenham company, which specialises in managed IT support, consultancy, cyber security and automation, signed a five-year deal to provide strategic IT support to the charity earlier this year.
Mark Adams, Mintivo’s Director of People and Culture said it was a natural progression to adopt the charity as its chosen fundraising cause. “Given our close involvement with the air ambulance, it made perfect sense for us to support them further,” he said. “We understand just how important this service is to the community.”
The company, which has more than 30 staff and is working towards a B-Corp certification, is not only focused on raising funds but also on increasing awareness of the charity and will feature an air ambulance stand in its reception area with posters, leaflets and information. “We hope that visitors will take an interest and learn more about the incredible work the air ambulance does,” said Mr Adams. “We’re also planning to set up a contactless donation point to encourage contributions.”
A skydive and a raffle are among the planned fundraising events and the company will set up a JustGiving page to track donations and inspire others. “We’ll be looking at other ways to fundraise too, as well as inviting air ambulance staff to our monthly big breakfast meeting,” said Mr Adams.
He said staff will have the chance of a tour around the air ambulance base in Semington. “We want everyone on our team to connect with this cause and seeing the work at first hand really drives home the importance and the cost of running this service,” he said.
The company has set a fundraising target of £5,000 – a milestone that Mr Adams hopes will resonate with staff. “The air ambulance estimates that £4,000 covers the cost of one lifesaving mission so if we reach that goal, it would be fantastic to know we’ve potentially saved a life,” he said.
Wiltshire Air Ambulance Fundraising Manager Fraser Normington said: “The support from the team at Mintivo will make a real difference to the charity.
“It costs £4.5 million a year to keep our service operational, which equates to more than £12,000 each day. Mintivo’s generosity will keep Wiltshire Air Ambulance flying and help save lives.
“We would like to extend a huge thank you to the Mintivo team for choosing us as their charity of the year and we look forward to getting stuck in with all of their fundraising challenges and events.”
In the first half of 2024 the air ambulance completed 682 missions, 397 in its Bell 429 helicopter and 285 in its critical care cars.
Mr Adams said the partnership is good for the business as well as for the charity. “This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to the community and allows our team to feel proud of supporting a local charity that we see in the skies every day, providing such a crucial service,” he said.
“It’s an incredible organisation that likely doesn’t get the support it deserves, and if we can help and maybe inspire others to do the same, that’s something truly worthwhile.”
Find out more about the charity at https://wiltshireairambulance.co.uk and about Mintivo’s services at https://Mintivo.co.uk.
