Adrian Stewart from Ballymena sadly passed away in December 2023, suddenly, at his home in Ballymena. He had so much to live for, having got married just two years prior to Pearl and had finished building his dream home. Whilst his life was cut short, he ensured a lasting legacy to local charity, Air Ambulance NI, with a gift in his Will, and his late wife, Pearl wants to raise awareness of this important way to support the life-saving charity that needs £2.5m in donations annually.
Ambulance NI was Adrian’s chosen charity primarily due to his love of motorbikes; it was a cause he knew was crucially needed in the community. When he and Pearl got married in 2021 they generously decided to encourage donations in lieu of wedding gifts and a total of £1700 was generated. Pearl and Adrian were able to visit the charity airbase in Lisburn to hand over the funds, see the helicopter and meet some of the team who are called upon twice a day on average.
The helicopter flies at approximately 180mph, meaning that emergency critical care is provided as quickly as possible at scene. The medical crew consists of a doctor and paramedic whose pre-hospital care at scene can be the difference between life and death.
Following the visit, when the couple were organising their Will’s Adrian pledged a gift of £5,000 to Air Ambulance NI.
Kerry Anderson, Head of Fundraising at the charity said, “Adrian’s gift of £5,000 has a particular poignancy to our charity as Adrian is the first known supporter to leave a gift in their Will. It was a pleasure to meet Adrian and Pearl following their wedding in 2021. We are humbled that Adrian was inspired to leave a final gift in his Will which will go a long way in helping the medical team save lives. And we are grateful that Pearl is allowing us to share this publicly, a lasting legacy in raising awareness for others to consider gifts in Wills.
Our charity needs to raise £6850 every day to ensure the medical team can reach the patients who need urgent pre-hospital care at scene. Any one of us could be a patient and all support matters, including gifts in Wills.”
Pearl said, “It was a really meaningful visit to the air ambulance back in 2021 and it meant a lot to Adrian and I. When he suddenly passed away it felt right to encourage donations in lieu of funeral flowers and I was in full support of his gift to the charity in his Will. It has been lovely to recently visit the charity again with my daughter Claire. We hope that Adrian’s gift in Will, will encourage others to do the same.”
The charity Air Ambulance Northern Ireland, in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, provides the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for Northern Ireland. The service brings urgent medical assistance to anywhere in the province, operating seven days a week for 12 hours per day. The HEMS team attend patients who are seriously ill or injured, bringing emergency pre-hospital care direct to the casualty with the aim of saving lives, brains and limbs. The aircraft can reach anywhere in Northern Ireland in approximately twenty-five minutes.
You can contact the charity directly by emailing info@airambulanceni.org or calling 028 9262 2677.
