OVER 400 life saving trips by helicopter have landed at Glasgow’s biggest hospital helipad since it opened more than two years ago.

The charity HELP (Helicopter Emergency Landing Pads) who support the landing site at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital say on average there has been three landings every week since the ‘busy Lizzie’ opened in April, 2015 in Glasgow’s Southside.

The organisation confirmed that in total, there has been 418 landings from the Scottish Air Ambulance and Coastguard services.

The HELP Appeal has assisted the hospital lifeline through £700,000 from public donations and the helipad serves 5.3 million people across Scotland.

The charity is now aiming to significantly increase the number of onsite hospital helipads through its HELP Appeal grant scheme which offers non-repayable grants to hospitals to help fund new helipads or upgrade existing helipads - and they need your donations.

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal, said: “It’s great to see how the HELP Appeal’s donation has made such a difference to a significant number of critically ill patients who were rescued from across Glasgow and Scotland.

“As their injuries were so severe, every second counted in getting them to the expert care they urgently needed.

“We are so proud that the HELP Appeal, through the construction of this onsite hospital helipad, has helped the hospital achieve this for all of the patients affected over the past two years.”

John Brown, Chairman of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, added: “The HELP Appeal raises funds to build or update existing helipads around the country.

“The helipad at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital allows patients to be flown to the hospital with direct access to our emergency department.”

He continued: “This can mean the difference between life and death and I’d encourage everyone to support this important charity.’

The charity also said that they rely solely on charitable donations and do not receive a single penny in government funding or from the National Lottery.

More information on the HELP Appeal and how to donate to the cause can be found via their dedicated website at http://www.helpappeal.com/

You can also follow the HELP Appeal on social media including Twitter: @helipadhelp, Facebook or Linkedin.