A photography exhibition telling the story of Midlands Air Ambuoance Charities most critically ill patients arrives at Merry Hill this Friday.

Mission Critical, an exhibition of thought-provoking photography telling the stories of some of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s most critically ill and injured former patients,

The photography exhibition was commissioned by the lifesaving, pre-hospital emergency service to commemorate its 30th anniversary. It uniquely highlights how Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s clinical and operational skills and expertise has evolved during the past three decades, told in pictures and the words of former patients.

The outdoor exhibition, which officially launched in Birmingham’s Chamberlain Square earlier this year, has also visited Hereford, Lichfield and Worcester. It is now coming to its second West Midlands venue at Merry Hill Shopping Centre as it continues its tour of the six counties that the lifesaving service covers. It features photography of and case studies from 17 of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s former patients, including those treated on-board one of the charity’s three helicopters and those attended by the charity’s critical care cars, one of which covers Birmingham and the Black Country – home to Merry Hill.

The stunning visuals were captured in black and white by renowned fashion and lifestyle photographer, Nik Hartley, whose list of prestigious clients include British Vogue, Karl Lagerfeld and Tommy Hilfiger, amongst others.

Nik was keen to support the pre-hospital emergency service after learning it does not receive any Government or NHS funding for its lifesaving daily missions.

Mission Critical is partnered by Safeguard Medical, The Wesleyan and Irwin Mitchell LLP and supported by DRP Group. Emma Gray, chief operating officer for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity said:

“For our 30th anniversary, we wanted to showcase our service in a different way, and we are delighted with the photography captured by the talented Nik Hartley, it’s stunning and powerful.

“This exhibition will help us commemorate 30 years of lifesaving service, whilst celebrating the courage and bravery of former patients, who have been treated by our specialist crew, by telling their survival stories.

“We hope that this activity will put a spotlight on our lifesaving service, for which demand is set to increase, in line with the region’s growing population base. Additionally, the type and nature of missions are becoming increasingly complex, meaning our pre-hospital emergency care service is needed more than ever.

“We would like to thank all of our former patients who have kindly taken part in this project and thank our event partners for enabling us to bring this exhibition to life.”

To discover more about the Mission Critical campaign, you can visit midlandsairambulance.com.