Commercial heating and ventilation specialist Lord Combustion Services has raised £20,000 at a charity ball to help Midlands Air Ambulance Charity save lives.

Lord Combustion Services raised the contribution to fund the charity’s blood delivery car for a further two years as well as the equivalent of six air ambulance missions and seven critical care car missions through generous donations at a dinner held at the Grand Hotel in Birmingham.

In total, 135 staff, suppliers, clients and business partners attended the event hosted by the business, which is based in Dudley Road East, Oldbury. The funds were collected through ticket sales, company sponsorships, a charity raffle, a fun casino and an auction for the good cause.

Ex-Formula 1 racing driver Perry McCarthy, the original Stig from Top Gear, spoke about his career in motor racing and his time on the popular BBC TV show. Speeches were also delivered by Lord Combustion Services managing director Stuart Smith along with Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s senior partnership executive Jon Cottrell and clinical operations manager Richard Apps.

The charity ball on October 12 featured a performance by soul band Groove Station and a DJ playing hits into the early hours.

Stuart Smith said:

“The team at Lord were really pleased to play their part in fundraising for the Midlands Air Ambulance through the ball. Having been based in the West Midlands for more than 40 years, we appreciate the importance of the work done by the charity to save lives every day.

“Thank you to all our guests for supporting our fundraising efforts and helping us give back to this amazing cause. We are thrilled with the amount raised and thoroughly enjoyed the event.”

Jon Cottrell said:

“Midlands Air Ambulance Charity relies entirely on the support and generosity of local people and businesses, so we really appreciate the support of Lord Combustion Services, who continue to be a valued corporate supporter.

“The money received from Lord will help fund our blood delivery vehicle for two years. Each year it costs £16 million just to maintain our three aircraft and the provision of a lifesaving service, so we really do value every donation.”

The Lord team are long-term supporters of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, which operates three air ambulance helicopters and a fleet of critical care cars serving the counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire the West Midlands and Worcestershire.

In March, Lord funded a new blood delivery vehicle for the charity to transport lifesaving blood and blood products between the Blood Bank at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham and the charity’s Strensham airbase on the Worcestershire-Gloucestershire border. In its first three months the Toyota Yaris travelled more than 10,000 miles, making more than 125 round trips.

Having opened for business in 1982, Lord now has a team of 45 engineers and support staff, delivering services for more than 1,000 sites across the Midlands, including 300 schools and hundreds of health sites. Lord has been recognised for its work on sustainability and environmental impact having successfully delivered significant retrofitting heating and hot water projects for the likes of the landmark Edgbaston cricket stadium in Birmingham.