25 Years, 3,000 Missions: The Dorset Air Ambulance

There’s a lot in this one – from letters on elderly drivers and dodgy photo competition terms to powerful columns on Trump, planning law, and… beavers. (Still beavering away, apparently.)

But the heartbeat of this episode? The awe-inspiring work of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, celebrating 25 years of saving lives. If you think it’s ‘just’ a helicopter, think again.

“We’re essentially bringing hospital-level care to the roadside – and it’s made possible by ordinary people giving a fiver a month.”

🎧 Tune in while you tidy the kitchen or walk the dog – your brain (and your heart) will thank you.

---

Powered by People: Laura’s Letter from the Editor

Laura Hitchcock opens with reflections on the turquoise-tinted national protest against uncredited AI use – and celebrates how this month’s issue was quite literally built by human generosity and connection.
🧠 “AI is just a tool. The real debate isn't about what it can do – it’s what it should do.” – Laura Hitchcock

 

---

Letters to the Editor:

From the heartbreaking to the hilarious, the letters this month cover:
✅ The last bank leaving town – and the isolation it brings
✅ Elderly drivers – and how to have that conversation
✅ The real cost of ‘free’ photo contests
✅ Greenwashing land grabs
✅ Calls for more from Mike H’s musical memoir
🔥 “Taking away the keys is taking away their independence – but safety has to come first.” – Joanna Spencer

 

---

Political Perspectives:

Simon Hoare MP warns of NATO instability in a new Trump era, urging the UK to hold firm against bullies.
🗣️ “To end the fighting is easy. Russia has only to withdraw her troops.” – Simon Hoare

Ken Huggins tackles the alarming Wessex Water case, where a campaigner was sued for withholding payment after repeated sewage failures.
💧 “If you pay someone to do a job and they don’t do it – should you still have to pay?” – Ken Huggins

Gary Jackson explores military readiness, Trump’s performative politics, and why Europe must ‘smell the coffee’.
⚠️ “A virtual presence is an actual absence.” – Gary Jackson

Edward Morello celebrates Dorset’s overlooked heroines – and calls for more visible tributes.
🗿 “This is not just about stone and metal. It’s about the stories we choose to tell.” – Edward Morello

 

---

Feature Interview: 25 Years of the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance

Charles Hackett, CEO of the DSAA, joins Terry to reveal what it really takes to run this life-saving service. Spoiler: it’s a lot more than a helicopter.
🚁 From 0 to nearly 3,000 missions a year, the DSAA is now a flying ICU, operating 19 hours a day and funded entirely by donations.
🌟 “We’re essentially bringing hospital-level care to the roadside – and it’s made possible by ordinary people giving a fiver a month.” – Charles Hackett
🎯 “One of the biggest ways people can help save lives is learning CPR – it makes a vast difference.”

---

The Dorset Insider: Build, Baby, Build

This month’s anonymous column lifts the lid on the chaos brewing in Dorset planning policy. With 54,000+ new homes on the way and pressure from Westminster, local voices are being pushed aside.
🏘️ “Parish councils are sidelined in major developments, treated with far less respect or status than they should have.”
🛠️ “Neighbourhood plans mean nothing when a big development is on the way – but we’re still told to make them.”
💬 “A field of 1,300 souls, now facing 94 more houses. The GPs and schools can’t cope, and no one asked us.”

---

These interviews and features were based on articles from March’s BV – available now. Read the full issue for more voices, news, arts, farming, horses, and your favourite local chaos – beautifully photographed and 100% Dorset.

Did we mention it’s free?

📰 The BV: named Best Regional Publication in the UK (ACE Awards) and Regional News Site of the Year (Press Gazette) in 2024. You’d be mad to miss it.