A cheeky women’s-only fundraiser - Dip in the Nip - will be held in Mayo next month to raise funds for the Irish Community Air Ambulance.
The Irish Community Air Ambulance stated: "The service is Ireland’s only charity-funded Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS ) Air Ambulance. It also has a fleet of Rapid Response Vehicles on the ground in counties Mayo, Donegal and Dublin.
"The Dip in the Nip will take place on the morning of February 20 in the Mulranny area of County Mayo. There will be an all-female support crew and female lifeguards on duty. Registration is now open for the event."
The event is being organised by Sue O’Toole who is a sea swimmer and a supporter of the Irish Community Air Ambulance. She said, "I’ve seen first-hand the fantastic work of the Rapid Response Vehicles in Mayo.
"I hope there will be a large crowd of brave women taking to the sea on February 20 for this worthy cause. It promises to be fun, exhilarating and will be a brilliant way to wash away the stresses of the last two years.
"Other smaller groups will be skinny dipping at beaches near where they live, we’re asking them to stay safe, however they decide to take part. Wonderful local sponsors, Sheridan’s Centra Newport and The Creel Westport, have come on board, which means we will have a goodie bag for each participant."
the Irish Community Air Ambulance added: "The Irish Community Air Ambulance works in partnership with the National Ambulance Service and responds to serious incidents and medical emergencies. The HEMS Air Ambulance is based in Rathcool, Cork and was tasked 512 times during 2021. The majority of taskings were in Munster, however the helicopter also responded to incidents in Mayo and Galway. Each helicopter mission costs approximately €3,500.
"Mayo native Dr Lisa Cunningham is on the board of the Irish Community Air Ambulance. She is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Mayo University Hospital and will soon be volunteering her time as a Rapid Response Doctor with the charity."
Lisa said, "The Irish Community Air Ambulance is based in Co Cork however it plays a significant role here in Mayo. My colleague Dr Jason Horan responded to 95 separate incidents during 2021 on behalf of the organisation.
"He was called to medical emergencies, cardiac arrests and road traffic collisions. Our aim is to bring our critical care skills to the people that need it most.
"We are entirely funded by public donations so it is events like this that allow us to provide both the helicopter and ground service. We expect it will cost €2.1m to run the organisation this year, which is a significant amount of money to raise."
the Irish Community Air Ambulance added that the Rapid Response Vehicles in Mayo, Donegal and Dublin are staffed by Volunteer Critical Care Doctors and Community-based GPs. They are tasked by the National Ambulance Service to treat trauma and medical emergencies within a 40-50km range. The fleet of doctors was tasked 809 times in 2021 bringing the total number of missions across the organisation to more than 1300.
Tickets for the Dip in the Nip in aid of the Irish Community Air Ambulance are €20 each. You can register on Event Master https://eventmaster.ie/event/mbA2uyVFM8 or the Irish Community Air Ambulance Facebook page.
