Midlands Air Ambulance Charity poems to mark 30 years of memories
A series of poems, prose and creative writing is set to tell the personal stories of former patients, staff, volunteers, air crew and pilots to mark the 30th anniversary of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity (MAAC).
MAAC is the primary air ambulance service for the West Midlands and since 1991 have undertaken more than 63,000 missions, providing patients with lifesaving, pre-hospital care at the incident scene.
People with experience of working with or being supported by the charity are being invited to share their stories. With the support of The Word Association CIC, they’ll create a poem or short story about their experience which will later be published in a digital book alongside pictures.
Peter Knott, Area Director for Arts Council England, said:
“Midlands Air Ambulance Charity has provided thousands of people with lifesaving medical care, we’re so proud to be supporting the anniversary celebrations and creation of a series of poems, prose and creative writing through National Lottery Project Grants.
“It’s fantastic to see that the project is giving people the opportunity to share their stories, being able to explore experiences through creativity allows people from all communities to connect.”
Pam Hodgetts, Corporate Partnerships Manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “To recognise the 30th anniversary of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity we wanted to explore our legacy through the stories of those closest to us. By commissioning the team at The Word Association we now have some of the regions most talented creatives ensuring the project will be a success.
“As a charity, a project like this would be impossible to achieve without Arts Council funding, their support has enabled a collaboration with the arts that will not only raise awareness of MAAC but also inspire the poets of the future.”
Giovanni ‘Spoz’ Esposito, former Birmingham Poet Laureate, will also be working alongside Holly Daffurn, Poetry and Therapeutic Writing Educator, to create a bespoke AIR30 poem. A spoken word version will be recorded and published on TWA’s YouTube, along with a video about the creation of the community poems and stories.
