CEO Statement on Forbury Gardens Incident

Thames Valley Air Ambulance CEO, Amanda McLean’s statement on the Forbury Gardens Incident

Thank you to everyone who has shared messages of support for our crew members who treated patients during the incident at Forbury Gardens, Reading on Saturday the 20th of June.

I too would like to share my heartfelt thanks to our crew members and recognise their dedication, professionalism and fortitude.

A week on, I attended the Reading Together vigil as a representative of Thames Valley Air Ambulance, where I lit a candle of remembrance in tribute to the victims of these tragic events.

The thoughts of everyone at Thames Valley Air Ambulance are with the family and friends of those who sadly lost their lives. We hope that we can speak for all our supporters and the wider community in expressing our condolences to all those affected.

I can confirm that two of our crews were in attendance, dispatched via helicopter and critical care response car.

As well as Thames Valley Police and South Central Ambulance Service, colleagues from both Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, and London Air Ambulance were also on scene.

We want to express our gratitude for their support, and we are glad that we were able to play our part in the response to this incident alongside the other emergency services present.

Upon joining Thames Valley Air Ambulance, our crew recognise that they are likely to face difficult and – at times – distressing scenes.

Our doctors and paramedics receive extensive training to prepare for the range of situations they may face, including the aftermath of violent attacks, and support for them is always on hand.

In moments of crisis, our doctors’ and paramedics’ situational awareness; ability to listen and communicate; and their calm, composed manner can be as critical as their pre-hospital emergency clinical training.

We stand ready, as we have for over two decades, to respond to the needs of our community and attend those most serious of incidents where we can add the greatest clinical value.

(With kind thanks and credits to ST Photos – Stewart Turkington for use of pictures)