Air ambulance celebrates raising £2m in bid to speed up response times
A major milestone has been reached as Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance celebrates raising £2m in a year.
The charity is aiming to raise £3.6m as part of its Operation Airbase appeal to convert and equip its newly purchased airbase and headquarters near Southampton Airport.
The move from its current airbase in Thruxton, Andover, to a more central location in the region will mean its highly skilled teams of doctors, pilots and paramedics will be able to reach almost every patient in the region within 10 minutes of take-off – compared to 20 minutes or more now.
An enormous £240,000 donation from The Monday Charitable Trust has catapulted the charity’s appeal, which began in September 2024, to £2m. The milestone has been reached through 8,654 individual donors who have donated to the appeal.
Richard Corbett, the charity’s CEO, said: “We have been completely overwhelmed by the response from our supporters. Whether they’re scaling mountains, running on runways or responding to our mailing campaigns, every ounce of generosity is inching us closer to our move. It will be transformational for not only our service, but for the thousands of patients who need our help every year.”
In addition to housing the charity's helicopter and its four emergency response vehicles, the new building has areas for training, aftercare for patients and families and a dedicated visitor centre, funded by The Monday Charitable Trust, which will allow the charity to welcome and engage with the community.
Work is now underway by construction company Rosewood Construction Services to transform the current building into a purpose-built airbase. The charity is aiming to begin operations from the new base in Spring 2026.