The HELP Appeal has donated £2.5 million to fund two helipads and an enclosed hangar space constructed at Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s new airbase and headquarters in Shifnal on the Shropshire / Staffordshire border in the United Kingdom.

The HELP Appeal, operated by County Air Ambulance Trust, distributes grants to fund helipads at hospitals and at air ambulance airbases across the U.K. The organization agreed to fund the two helipads and hangar in 2018, the construction of which was completed early summer 2023.

Since Midlands Air Ambulance Charity moved its operations from RAF Cosford to the new facility in August 2023, the helipads have enabled the service’s helicopter to take off on more than 180 vitally important air ambulance missions.

Hanna Sebright, chief executive of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said:

“Planning for our new airbase and charity headquarters started in 2017, and the construction of the site has come to fruition thanks to funding from granting giving organizations and corporate partners. This has meant that generous donations from our communities funds our daily lifesaving missions.

“We simply could not operate our service without our airbase helipads and the hangar to undertake maintenance repairs and house our helicopters at night. We are sincerely grateful to the HELP Appeal for funding this critical function at our Cosford airbase and headquarters, which has ultimately assisted our organisation in attending those who are critically unwell or injured in our region.”

Robert Bertram, chief executive for the HELP Appeal, who met the team to see how the helipads are making a difference said:

“It was fantastic to visit Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s airbase to see how the HELP Appeal’s funding has been put to very good use. Helipads can be often forgotten about in emergency care, but if air ambulances can’t land and take off, safely or quickly from their airbase at any time of the day, patients’ lives could be put at serious risk.”