GLASTONBURY Festival has pledged its support to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance after organisers saw the charity's vital work up close. 

Festival co-organiser Emily Eavis shared the news in an Instagram post on Thursday, October 20, following a visit to the organisation's headquarters.

Ms Eavis revealed that her son was taken to hospital via air ambulance after he was injured in a bike collision at Worthy Farm before Glastonbury 2022.

She wrote: “This is a post about a charity that means a lot to our family and one we will be supporting at Glastonbury in 2023.

“In June this year, my son had a bike collision on the farm.

“It was a serious injury and we were so lucky to have been rescued by the air ambulance within minutes of it taking place.

“They managed the whole situation so calmly and quickly and he was in Bristol Children’s Hospital within ten minutes in the helicopter.

“This week, we were invited to visit the team, which is something they kindly offer when children have had accidents and have a lot to recover from.

“They can meet the team of people that rescued them on the day and talk about what happened, which helps process it all.

“We also found out more about their life saving work, all of which is funded by public donations.

“What a fantastic local life-saving charity, which anyone could need at any time.”

In the last year, the air ambulance attended 2,231 missions, gave blood to 41 patients, and made 36 time-critical inter-hospital transfers.

The charity receives no funding from the Government or National Lottery and relies on public support. 

Its operational costs are over £5 million a year, and every mission it attends costs around £3,000.

A spokesperson for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance praised Ms Eavis' son for his bravery, adding: “We are so glad we were able to assist him in his time of need.”

Ms Eavis has encouraged festival fans to support the charity by following them on social media or donating to it via its website.

Every year, Glastonbury supports a range of Worthy causes such as Oxfam, Greenpeace and WaterAid.

It has also supported several local causes including affordable housing initiatives and renovation projects in Pilton.

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