About the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust 

The Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust (CWART) provides a professional Air Rescue and Air Ambulance service in Canterbury and on the West Coast, including patient transfer between specialist hospital services across the entire country. The service rescued more than 900 people in 2017 alone.

What the grant went towards

The grant enables the continued operation of the CWART services by helping bridge the gap between the 50 percent government funding it receives, and the actual operating costs incurred.

What this meant for the organisation and its clients

In a life and death situation where every minute counts, air rescue may be a patient’s only chance for survival. In trauma cases such as road accidents and medical emergencies, if a patient has access to the specialised care they need within one hour of the onset of illness or injury, their chances of making a complete recovery increase by up to 80 percent.  

Dylan’s Story 

Dylan needed CWART’s help when he was badly injured in a biking accident at a friend’s birthday party.

Dylan’s father, Nigel, recalls the experience; “Dylan was screaming – there was blood everywhere, his face was smashed, his teeth scattered on the ground, he was struggling to breathe.”

The fact that Dylan received medical attention in that critical first “golden” hour after sustaining his life-threatening injuries, meant he was able to resume playing rugby within a few months. 

“I had the feeling Dylan was being cared for like the paramedic’s own son,” said Nigel.