Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) has received a £300,000 donation from the HELP Appeal to support the construction of a new helipad at its new site.
The donation will go towards the £415,000 required for the helipad, which will enable aircraft to take off and land directly from the new site, reducing response times across the region.
Construction is expected to begin at the planned Northern Air Base in Skipton-on-Swale soon, following recent planning approval.
The funding was formally presented at YAA’s current Nostell base by HELP Appeal Chief Executive Robert Bertram and Trustee Arthur Vestey.
The new helipad will be the 13th air ambulance base supported by the HELP Appeal, the UK’s only charity dedicated to funding NHS and air ambulance helipads.
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive, HELP Appeal, said:
“We are proud to donate £300,000 towards the construction of a new helipad at Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s new base.
"This funding is a direct investment in the lifesaving work carried out every day by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance team.
"By supporting the construction of this helipad, we’re helping to ensure they can continue responding swiftly and effectively to emergencies across the region.
"This donation has only been made possible thanks to the incredible generosity of our HELP Appeal supporters, whose commitment to enhancing emergency care makes projects like this possible.”
The new base, located 3.5 miles from RAF Topcliffe, will include modern facilities such as crew accommodation and training spaces, and is designed to ensure rapid access to any part of Yorkshire within 20 minutes.
Steve Waudby, YAA Director of Aviation, said:
"We are incredibly grateful to the HELP Appeal for their outstanding generosity.
"Having a purpose-built helipad at our new base is crucial to the efficiency of our operations.
"It will enable our crews to mobilise quickly, ensuring that we are always ready to respond to emergencies across Yorkshire.
"This donation takes us one step closer to achieving our vision for a world-class facility that will serve the region for decades to come.”
The HELP Appeal has funded over 55 helipads nationwide, including several at Yorkshire hospitals such as Leeds General and Scarborough General.
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