THE BIG BASES APPEAL
Help build your new lifesaving bases
Coventry Airport has now closed
Our new South Base at Catthorpe is the first of two new purpose-built bases planned through the Big Bases Appeal.
Your Local Air Ambulance and National Children’s Air Ambulance teams are continuing to operate from Coventry Airport temporarily,
but we urgently need your support to help build their permanent new home.
Donate Today
Your Donation Helps to Build the New Bases
Protect lifesaving care for future generations.
Donate today and help secure the future of The Air Ambulance Service.
Welcome to the Big Bases Appeal, our most ambitious capital campaign to date.
Together, we are working to create two new purpose-built bases that will support Your Local Air Ambulance and the National Children’s Air Ambulance.
Our immediate priority is the new South Base at Catthorpe. Following the closure of Coventry Airport, it is vital that we create a permanent new home for our southern operations, with our goal of making the new base mission-ready by Autumn 2027.
Catthorpe is the first part of our wider plan. The Big Bases Appeal will support the development of two new bases, helping secure our lifesaving services for generations to come.
We receive no government or NHS funding for our vital services. Your support will help make these new bases possible.
From first spade to first mission
The first stage of our Big Bases Appeal is taking shape.
Work on our new South Base at Catthorpe is due to begin in October 2026. From the first spade in the ground, through construction and fit-out, we’ll keep you updated as we work towards our goal of making the base mission-ready by Autumn 2027.
And Catthorpe is only the beginning. It will be the first of two new purpose-built bases planned through the Big Bases Appeal.
Why We Need to Act Now
Our immediate priority is the first phase of the Big Bases Appeal, our new South Base at Catthorpe.
Coventry Airport has now closed. Your Local Air Ambulance and National Children’s Air Ambulance teams are able to continue operating from the site temporarily, but we urgently need to establish a permanent new home for these lifesaving services.
The new base will be built at Catthorpe, close to the M1/M6 interchange. It will provide a permanent home for Your Local Air Ambulance operations supporting Warwickshire and Northamptonshire, helping crews respond quickly by air and road. It will also bring National Children’s Air Ambulance crews and the Air Desk together at the same base, helping them coordinate critical transfers across the UK more effectively.
Our goal is to have the new South Base built and mission-ready by Autumn 2027.
But Catthorpe is only the first part of the Big Bases Appeal. Our wider plan is to develop two new purpose-built bases. But Catthorpe is only the first part of the Big Bases Appeal. Our wider plan is to develop two new purpose-built bases, with a new North Base following to support Your Local Air Ambulance operations across Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Support Us
Securing the future of The Air Ambulance Service.
Together, we save more lives.
The minutes we save on the ground could mean reaching someone in time.
A parent still there for their family.
A child getting the specialist care they need.
Your support helps make that possible.
Help build the new bases that will keep our lifesaving services ready to respond — whenever the call comes.
Be Part of the Foundation
Who will your brick be for?
A virtual brick is a simple way to play your part in building our mission-ready bases, supporting lifesaving emergency response across Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland and critical care transfers for children across the UK.
For someone you love.
For the crews who save lives.
For the next patient who needs us.
YYour brick helps lay the foundations of bases that will save lives for years to come.
Big Bases Appeal Stats
How You Can Support the Big Bases Appeal
However you choose to support, you’ll be helping us build the new bases our lifesaving services need for the future.
Fundraise
Bring your community together and turn your time and energy into lifesaving support.
Volunteer
Give your time and skills, at events, in shops or behind the scenes, and help power this appeal in your local community.
Corporate Partnerships
Partner with us to support the development of our new bases and create meaningful, measurable impact.
For Ellie. For David. For people you love.
When David was seriously injured in a head-on collision, Your Local Air Ambulance reached him in just seven minutes and delivered critical care at the roadside.
When Ellie was born six weeks premature and urgently needed specialist surgery, the National Children’s Air Ambulance flew her 114 miles in just 42 minutes to the care she needed.
These are two very different missions, supported by two vital lifelines.
Your support for the Big Bases Appeal will help create the permanent bases our teams need to continue being there for the next David, the next Ellie and the next person you love.
Where the New Bases Will Be
The Big Bases Appeal will help us develop two new purpose-built bases, strategically located to support our lifesaving services for the future.
Your Local Air Ambulance serves all five counties, with the two bases providing strategically located operational homes across its region. The National Children’s Air Ambulance is a national service, supporting critically ill babies and children across the UK.
Explore the map below to find out more.
Base locations
South Base – Catthorpe
Our first new base will be built at Catthorpe, close to the M1/M6 interchange. The South Base will provide a permanent home for Your Local Air Ambulance operations supporting Warwickshire and Northamptonshire.
It will also bring National Children’s Air Ambulance crews and the Air Desk together at the same base, supporting the coordination of urgent transfers for critically ill babies and children across the UK.
North Base — location to be confirmed
Following the South Base, our plans include a new North Base to support Your Local Air Ambulance operations across Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland.
FAQs
You can donate, fundraise, buy a virtual brick, volunteer your time, or support the appeal as a corporate partner.
We are seeking £9 million from public and philanthropic donations to help deliver the first new base. Additional funding will come from charity reserves to ensure the project is delivered responsibly.
Our current bases face long-term uncertainty and no longer meet the needs of modern emergency care. New bases will protect response times, improve facilities for our crews, and ensure services remain sustainable for decades to come.
The Big Bases Appeal is a major fundraising campaign to help build new, purpose-built air ambulance bases that will secure the future of lifesaving care for communities and children across the UK.