Wood’s ruby beer will support Midlands Air Ambulance Charity
Drinkers of a new beer from South Shropshire’s Wood Brewery will support Midlands Air Ambulance Charity in its 25th anniversary year, with the brewery donating 5p for every pint of Red Rescue it sells.
Brewery managing director Edward Wood has special reason to thank Midlands Air Ambulance Charity. In 2009, the airborne emergency service had to whisk his son Jonathan, then 15, from Shrewsbury for life-saving emergency brain surgery in Stoke following a freak cricketing accident. An ambulance crew initially treated Jonathan on the cricket field and transferred him to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. It quickly became apparent that specialist treatment was required and the Midlands Air Ambulance was scrambled from RAF Cosford to airlift the badly injured boy between the two hospitals in less than 15 minutes. Jonathan went straight to the operating theatre for life saving treatment and made a full recovery.
“It’s not until you find yourself facing those situations that you truly realise Midlands Air Ambulance Charity plays a life-or-death part in all our lives – and it relies entirely on voluntary donations,” said the brewer. “We’re delighted to be donating to the service again this year. We’ve always been supporters of the charity and it was a very fortunate irony that we had committed to raising funds for it the year Jonathan needed their service. Without it, his life would now be very different.”
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity provides the primary response to six counties; West Midlands, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, dealing with on average 2,000 callouts each year. It operates from Tatenhill Airport in Staffordshire, RAF Cosford, near Wolverhampton, and Strensham North Services on the M5.
Maria Jones, fundraising manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity explains: “The vital service Midlands Air Ambulance Charity provides is funded only by donations from the general public and local businesses, so funds raised from initiatives like this, help to fund further lifesaving missions.”
Wood’s Red Rescue is styled on a pale ale, but the 4.2% beer uses a red-coloured malt to give a unique ruby glow.
Footnote: Wood’s and Midland Air Ambulance Charity endorse responsible drinking
