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Issue:- 5 December 2013

Fraudsters Threaten Air Ambulance Donations

Click on to see a higher rez. copy of the scam collection leaflet.   Click on to see a higher rez. copy of the website as it looked at 1600 GMT on 4 December 2013.

THE Air Ambulance Service (TAAS) is calling upon its supporters and potential donators to be wary of rogue collectors posing as a Charity.

The Charity is concerned that vital income could be lost as a result of companies that carry out fraudulent activities and try to trade on the Charity's good name and reputation.

Worried about the effect that bogus clothing collections will have on its donations at the most important time of the year, Chief Executive Andy Williamson said:- "Christmas donations of money and clothing are crucial to our service and yet we now have to worry that criminals are distributing bogus bags that try to fool people into thinking they are giving to us when they are not".

TAAS has recently received several reports of a hoax Charity, simply calling themselves "Air Ambulance Service", sending out collection leaflets (pictured above) nationwide and encouraging people to donate to them.

These hoax leaflets ask people to donate unwanted items such as clothing, and provide a phone number and website address, but do not include a registered charity number. The phone number provided is no longer in use and the website clearly states that the service is a 'scam'.

The company originally responsible for distributing these leaflets was caught out and closed down by the High Court over 2 years ago. The company's directors were subsequently prosecuted. At the time, it was believed that over £1 million was extorted from the public by rogue collectors claiming to be from Air Ambulance Charities.  However, these leaflets appear to be in circulation once again, with reports of deliveries to addresses throughout England.

The Air Ambulance Service would like to make it very clear that this "Air Ambulance Service" is a hoax Charity and, despite adopting a very similar name, is in no way affiliated with "The Air Ambulance Service".

These misleading leaflets have a serious and detrimental impact on the Charity's recycling operation and public image.  Andy goes on to say:- "As a Charity, we are extremely concerned that this will affect our legitimate collections. We would encourage everyone to please check the bags and make sure they support a true air ambulance Charity. Criminal activities like this put people off from donating which, particularly at Christmas time, can be devastating for a small Charity like ours."

TAAS is the umbrella organisation for 2 Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS):-

►  Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) and Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA).

►  They also run The Children's Air Ambulance (TCAA), a national Charity that transfers critically ill children and babies from hospitals to Paediatric Intensive Care Units across England and Wales.

►  The Charity receives no Government funding, relying entirely on public support to keep its helicopters flying and its crew saving lives on a regular basis.

►  The Charity operates every day of the year, including Christmas Day, and needs to raise over £3 million every year to keep each of its services running.

TAAS is currently in discussion with the Police and Trading Standards about this new wave of rogue leaflets.

TAAS's collection bags clearly state which Charity the collections are going to and also include the Charity's registration number. For further information, please call:- 08454 130999, or to see an example of what their collection bags look like, and to find out more about them click on to the official website.  To make a donation to The Air Ambulance Service this Christmas, you can also call:- 08454 130999 or go online.


Read more at file:///C:/Users/User/Desktop/This%20Week/633-6.shtml#mh7AXzO6z2XGsQkT.99

ATG AND 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT IN NEW PANTOMIME SPONSORSHIP DEAL

THE Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) has secured a new sponsorship deal with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment for the 2013/14 pantomime season.

This will be the second year running that Fox have sponsored the First Family Entertainment (FFE) produced pantomime season and will see the continued innovation of big screen advertising between the two companies. The news also re-establishes the partnership between ATG and Pearl and Dean offering a truly unique opportunity for sponsors and advertisers.

The sponsorship deal will involve the digital projection of an ad for Dreamworks’ Shrek the Musical on DVD and Blu-ray on newly installed dedicated screens prior to the pantomime performances.

ATG venues involved in the sponsorship deal are Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Bristol Hippodrome, King’s Theatre Glasgow, Liverpool Empire, Manchester Opera House, Milton Keynes Theatre, Richmond Theatre, Regent Theatre Stoke-on-Trent, New Victoria Theatre Woking and New Wimbledon Theatre.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment will be fully integrated into the FFE pantomime experience and ATG will offer supplemental online and programme advertising benefits and a promotional presence Front of House.

Pat Westwell, ATG’s Marketing Director, said:- "To be associated with such a huge recognisable global brand like 20th Century Fox for the second year running is a great honour and a fantastic opportunity for ATG to generate even more large scale sponsorships like this in the future. This is a totally unique and exclusive opportunity and the obvious cross over that exists between Fox and ATG’s family audiences I’m sure will prove beneficial to both companies."

Becky Wilson, Senior Product Manager at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, said:- "We’re excited to be partnering with ATG again this year to reach our target audience for Shrek The Musical in such a fun, engaging and family-friendly environment that fully complements our home entertainment strategy."

Mike Hope-Milne, Enterprise Director, Pearl & Dean said:- "In the pursuit of constant innovation, it has been a pleasure to collaborate with ATG and Fox again this year to further develop this unique Christmas advertising opportunity."

In 2012, ATG, Pearl and Dean and Carat, the UK’s leading independent media planning and buying specialist, won the “Media Collaboration of the Year” Award at the 2012 Media Week Awards in recognition of their Gordon’s Gin digital sponsorship campaign.

Fraudsters Threaten Air Ambulance Donations

Click on to see a higher rez. copy of the scam collection leaflet.   Click on to see a higher rez. copy of the website as it looked at 1600 GMT on 4 December 2013.

THE Air Ambulance Service (TAAS) is calling upon its supporters and potential donators to be wary of rogue collectors posing as a Charity.

The Charity is concerned that vital income could be lost as a result of companies that carry out fraudulent activities and try to trade on the Charity's good name and reputation.

Worried about the effect that bogus clothing collections will have on its donations at the most important time of the year, Chief Executive Andy Williamson said:- "Christmas donations of money and clothing are crucial to our service and yet we now have to worry that criminals are distributing bogus bags that try to fool people into thinking they are giving to us when they are not".

TAAS has recently received several reports of a hoax Charity, simply calling themselves "Air Ambulance Service", sending out collection leaflets (pictured above) nationwide and encouraging people to donate to them.

These hoax leaflets ask people to donate unwanted items such as clothing, and provide a phone number and website address, but do not include a registered charity number. The phone number provided is no longer in use and the website clearly states that the service is a 'scam'.

The company originally responsible for distributing these leaflets was caught out and closed down by the High Court over 2 years ago. The company's directors were subsequently prosecuted. At the time, it was believed that over £1 million was extorted from the public by rogue collectors claiming to be from Air Ambulance Charities.  However, these leaflets appear to be in circulation once again, with reports of deliveries to addresses throughout England.

The Air Ambulance Service would like to make it very clear that this "Air Ambulance Service" is a hoax Charity and, despite adopting a very similar name, is in no way affiliated with "The Air Ambulance Service".

These misleading leaflets have a serious and detrimental impact on the Charity's recycling operation and public image.  Andy goes on to say:- "As a Charity, we are extremely concerned that this will affect our legitimate collections. We would encourage everyone to please check the bags and make sure they support a true air ambulance Charity. Criminal activities like this put people off from donating which, particularly at Christmas time, can be devastating for a small Charity like ours."

TAAS is the umbrella organisation for 2 Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS):-

►  Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) and Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA).

►  They also run The Children's Air Ambulance (TCAA), a national Charity that transfers critically ill children and babies from hospitals to Paediatric Intensive Care Units across England and Wales.

►  The Charity receives no Government funding, relying entirely on public support to keep its helicopters flying and its crew saving lives on a regular basis.

►  The Charity operates every day of the year, including Christmas Day, and needs to raise over £3 million every year to keep each of its services running.

TAAS is currently in discussion with the Police and Trading Standards about this new wave of rogue leaflets.

TAAS's collection bags clearly state which Charity the collections are going to and also include the Charity's registration number. For further information, please call:- 08454 130999, or to see an example of what their collection bags look like, and to find out more about them click on to the official website.  To make a donation to The Air Ambulance Service this Christmas, you can also call:- 08454 130999 or go online.


Read more at file:///C:/Users/User/Desktop/This%20Week/633-6.shtml#mh7AXzO6z2XGsQkT.99

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