The need for a brand new and bespoke airbase for The Air Ambulance Service was the subject of discussion when Warwick and Leamington MP Matt Western visited the charity on Tuesday (21 July).
The Air Ambulance Service hopes to develop a new base in Catthorpe. It currently launches missions out of Coventry Airport, which closed in June although temporary permission to remain has been secured until the new base is complete.
The charity – which is the air ambulance service covering Warwickshire as well as Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland – wants to build facilities on land at Catthorpe from where it will cover medical emergencies. It will also facilitate missions for the National Children’s Air Ambulance, which is a one-of-a-kind hospital transfer service for critically ill children and babies.
The MP was escorted on the tour by charity Chief Operating Officer Richard Clayton, who said: “In 2025 we flew 470 emergencies across Warwickshire, and many of those lifesaving missions launched from Coventry. We were incredibly grateful to Matt for taking the time to learn more about the work we do across the central England region to keep people safe and families together, and how the new base will be vital to our future.
“As air ambulance charities are funded entirely from donations and receive no NHS or public funding, we have launched Big Bases Appeal – a campaign that gives the public an opportunity to contribute to the construction of the new base.
“Patients will benefit from state-of-the-art facilities for crews to train and rest, dedicated family-friendly spaces for aftercare and recovery support as well as a strengthened National Children’s Air Ambulance service to meet growing demand for paediatric transfers.”
Matt Western MP remarked: “It was a privilege to have the opportunity to meet a number of those doing vital work at our local Air Ambulance base, and to be able to discuss the lifesaving work they do all year round. The building of the new base offers a fantastic opportunity to have a new, purpose-built facility barely 15 miles away, which will ensure that we still have access to top-quality emergency care across Warwick, Leamington, Whitnash and the villages – as well as offering a range of highly-skilled jobs for local people. Thank you to Richard and the team for taking the time to meet with me.”
For more information on the Big Bases Appeal and the build project, visit https://theairambulanceservice.org.uk/big-bases-appeal
