Flying start to air ambulance partnership
Fareham firm Barnbrook Systems has donated more than £3,000 so far to its charity of the year, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.
The business, a global engineering solutions provider, launched the partnership in the spring with a £2,000 cheque and one of its cutting-edge E:BAG fire suppression systems.
Founded in 2007, the charity responded to a record 2,544 calls for help in 2024 and is fundraising for a £3.6M Operation Airbase Appeal for a new headquarters and base near Southampton Airport.
Andrew Barnett, managing director of Barnbrook Systems, said: 'We’ve got off to a great start with our team throwing themselves into our charity partnership with the air ambulance.
'It is such an incredible service that saves lives and delivers critical care for members of our community when they need its help the most.
'We look forward to providing even more support for the charity to allow it to fly more missions and relocate to its new airbase.'
Barnbrook director of strategy John Bradhsaw represented the company at a Veritech Security Solutions gala dinner in support of the air ambulance earlier this month when £16,000 was raised for the airbase appeal.
Staff at Barnbrook and fellow Fareham technology firm Flair raised £1,225 for the charity’s Miles for Missions campaign in the spring. They walked, ran and cycled more than 800 miles to clock up the total.
The business, with nearly 50 staff, has also welcomed the air ambulance team into its offices in Fareham Park Road for a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training day to learn the lifesaving skill.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance has a helicopter and a fleet of emergency response cars which provide advanced critical care to sick and injured people 365 days a year.
Chief executive Richard Corbett said: 'We are very grateful for the ongoing support of Barnbrook Systems.
'They have thrown themselves into challenges, events and community outreach projects throughout to raise money and awareness for our charity.
'It is the generosity and kindness of such organisations and their individuals that help us save lives – day and night, 365 days a year – and meet the ever increasing demand for our services.'
Since its first flight in July 2007, the charity has responded to more than 22,000 emergencies across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Itcosts about £17,750 a day to keep the charity’s vital services operational
Barnbrook is a regular supporter of charities and good causes, including sponsorship of STEM initiatives across Hampshire and the South.
It also presenting E:BAGS – developed with Flair - to other air ambulance charities nationwide.
The bag uses smart nano-technology to put out hard-to-extinguish fires from lithium-ion batteries in such devices as vapes, phones, tablets and laptops.
Aviation and aerospace are among Barnbrook’s key sectors where its services include maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) support for global giants and contractors within the supply chain.
Visit https://www.hiowaa.org/ for more about the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance and https://barnbrooksystems.com for more information about Barnbrook.