TEAMS working on the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross upgrade are playing a part in raising funds for the Cornwall Air Ambulance.

Costain, principal contractors for National Highways’ A30 dualling scheme, adopted the charity at the start of construction in 2020 and set a target of raising £20,000 for Cornwall’s critical care response team.

The public-funded charity undertakes more than 1,000 missions each year across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and relies on corporate and public donations and fund-raising to maintain and operate its helicopter and rapid response land vehicles.

And so far, the integrated project team has contributed more than £9,000 towards the team’s operating costs.

The funds have been raised through a number of initiatives within the team, including collection tins, donations, a crochet sale, vending machine monies and Easter and Christmas raffle events.

The fund-raising initiative has been supported by various contractors within the project team and among the activities this year, Costain are planning ongoing fundraising for the air ambulance team, along with a number of events, including a cream tea open day, an Easter raffle and a sponsored sky-dive.

Jordan Fortune, National Highways’ assistant project manager for the scheme, is one of the team planning the fund-raising sky-dive.

He said: “The air ambulance provides such a valuable and vital service for Cornwall and we’re happy to be doing our bit to help raise funds – even if it means conquering some of our fears later this year.”

The multi-million-pound A30 upgrade is scheduled to be open to traffic in winter 2023.

The cost is being partly funded by an £8 million contribution from the European Regional Development Fund, with an additional £12 million for the construction phase.

The remainder of the cost of developing and delivering the scheme is being funded by central government.