Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) has reported that 2022 has been the busiest year in its 33-year history.

Between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022, the charity’s crews of pilots, doctors and paramedics responded to 3,224 incidents, 64 per cent by helicopter and 36 per cent by Rapid Response Vehicle.

Of these, 757 of the call outs were to incidents in Surrey.

Road traffic collisions accounted for the highest number of missions, followed by medical emergencies and accidental injuries. The majority of patients were under 60 years of age.

Delivering world-leading pre-hospital emergency care 24/7 to the most critically ill patients across its region, it costs £15.2 million each year for KSS to operate its life-saving service.

With demand at an all-time high, the charity is urging people to support its January fundraiser, Run 31, and help raise vital funds.

CEO of KSS, David Welch, commented on the charity's busiest year yet: “KSS provides a vital life-saving service, bringing the emergency room to the scene of an incident and delivering the best possible outcomes to patients in need of critical care.

"Sadly, the demand for our service is at an all-time high and we need to keep fundraising in order to keep our service fully operational 24/7.

"86 per cent of our total income is donated and raised by our supporters and we are so incredibly grateful for the support we receive from our local communities - we would not be able to save the lives that we do without the generosity of our supporters and volunteers.”

Mr Welch is also participating in Run 31, a fitness challenge for people of all ages and abilities to run or walk a minimum of 31 miles by the end of January.

Participants can do this fundraiser wherever and however they would like.

Regular walkers or runners can set themselves an even harder challenge, doubling or tripling the 31-mile target and completing either 62 or 93 miles throughout the month of January.

Mr Welch is challenging himself to complete 105 miles across the month, the equivalent of four marathons.

He continued: “I hope people across Kent, Surrey, East Sussex and West Sussex will sign up for Run 31 and set themselves their own personal fitness challenges.

"We are so thankful for all amounts of sponsorship raised. All fundraisers who reach a fundraising target of £150 will be sent a medal from KSS to thank them for their achievements in raising vital funds for our life-saving charity.”

Run 31 participant Clara Halket from Lightwater said: “Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex is a vital life-saving service that benefits our region and Run 31 is one of the ways to raise much needed funds.

"Run 31 is also a great motivational tool to get me out doing some exercises during one of the coldest months of the year. I’m very much looking forward to the start line!”

Sign up for Run 31 via the KSS website, via KSS’s Run 31 Facebook Community or create a JustGiving fundraiser.

All participants will receive a free t-shirt. Your fundraising could make a big difference: £300 could buy enough aircraft fuel for one helicopter mission, £95 could buy a box of five sets of tubing for the ventilator, and £43 could pay for a 'nose balloon', used to stop bleeding when a patient has fractured their face.

For more information about the charity, visit www.aakss.org.uk