Air ambulance boosted by £100,000 grant for training facilities at new airbase near Southampton Airport

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance has been awarded a £100,000 grant towards its crew’s training facilities in its new airbase near Southampton Airport.

The ‘Bradbury Training Room’ will help the charity’s doctors, dispatchers, pilots and paramedics practise and refine essential, cutting-edge skills that give critically ill and injured patients the best chance of survival and recovery. The donation was made by the Bradbury Foundation, Hong Kong.

The crews regularly hone their craft with ultra-realistic and demanding simulations that mirror emergencies they encounter daily through to more specific major incident training.

Sessions held at the ‘Bradbury Training Room’ will also strengthen collaboration with local ambulance services, NHS Trusts and other partners, offering a shared space for joint training and skill development.

The charity will also utilise the space, delivering its free community education programme, ‘CPR Skills for Life’, which gives people the confidence to perform CPR and use a defibrillator. These sessions were delivered to more than 2,000 people in 2025.

Clinical education lead, Dr Rob Summerhayes, said: “We want to be able to deliver highly realistic training and ‘sweat the small stuff’ to help our clinicians be 100% prepared for operating under pressure in high tempo jobs. Having a dedicated training environment and associated equipment will allow us to fully immerse in our training, hone our skills, and give every patient the very best chance of seeing their families again.”

The charity’s new airbase is due to be completed in a few short weeks. More than 13,000 donors have now collectively raised £3.5 million with just £100,000 needed to finish off the build.

For more information visit hiowaa.org/appeal.