The Big Bases Appeal Story
For more than 20 years, The Air Ambulance Service has been there when the unthinkable happens; bringing hospital-level care to people in their moment of greatest need.
THE STORY
Why this appeal matters
From serious road traffic collisions to critically ill children and babies requiring urgent transfers, every mission is a race against the clock.
Our teams work at speed, under pressure, and with one clear purpose: to give every patient the very best chance of survival.
Today, we deliver two lifesaving services as one organisation.
Your Local Air Ambulance responds to emergencies across Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland.
The National Children’s Air Ambulance transfers critically ill babies and children to specialist care across the UK.
But being ready doesn’t start when we’re called.
It starts at a base.
The Big Bases Appeal exists to protect and strengthen that mission — so we can be ready for every call, now and in the future.
Why new airbases are critical to saving lives
We hope you’ll never need us. But if you do, we must be ready, immediately.
Ready with the right team. Ready with the right equipment. Ready to respond without delay.
Coventry Airport, which supports our Warwickshire and Northamptonshire service and along with housing our National Children’s Air Ambulance air desk, is facing closure and long-term uncertainty.
Our existing buildings were never designed for the demands of modern pre-hospital critical care.
This affects how we train. How we support our crews. How we care for patients and families beyond the emergency itself. And how quickly we can respond when every second matters.
A purpose-built base changes that.
The Big Bases Appeal will deliver new purpose-built airbases to secure the future of our lifesaving services. However, the most immediate operational challenges relate to our current South Base locations.
Designed around clinical need, it will help us move faster, train better, and be ready for every emergency.
Big Bases Appeal Stats
Be Part of the Foundation
Who will your brick be for?
A virtual brick is a simple way to play your part in building a mission-ready base — supporting both lifesaving emergency response 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.
Your brick helps lay the foundations of a base that will save lives for years to come.
“They were there when we needed them most. They’re an invaluable service, and we’re eternally thankful to them for helping bring our little girl to where she needed to urgently be.”
Mandy, grandmother to NCAA patient, Penny
Stories like this are why being ready matters.
The new base will help us respond faster ,so we can be there for the next patient, the next family, and the next critically ill child who needs urgent care.
A vision for the future: two bases, one lifesaving network
Our vision is to create two new air ambulance bases — one in the south and one in the north of the counties we cover — securing the future of The Air Ambulance Service.
The south base will be delivered first. It will bring services together into a modern, centrally located hub within our operational area, carefully positioned to protect response times across Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, while providing the most efficient national coordination for children’s transfers.
This new base will include:
- A purpose-built operational base for both services
- A National Operations Centre for the National Children’s Air Ambulance
- Advanced training and simulation suites to keep skills sharp
- Modern welfare facilities to support crews between missions
- Dedicated areas for patients and families, including aftercare
Our £9 Million Goal
This is the largest capital investment in our 20-year history. To deliver the new South and North bases, we are seeking £9 million in public and philanthropic support, alongside funding from our reserves.
Every donation brings us closer to building a base that’s always ready to respond, for both local emergencies and critically ill children across the UK.
We’ll share progress openly — so you can see the difference your support is making at every stage.
Why Your Support Matters
Unlike other emergency services, we receive no routine government or NHS funding.
Your support helps create the right home for our crews, so they can respond faster, deliver the best care, and be ready for every call.
Because when every second counts, being ready is everything, for every patient, every family, and every child who needs us.
FAQs
The new bases will support both Your Local Air Ambulance and the National Children’s Air Ambulance, strengthening resilience and ensuring specialist care is available whenever it is needed.
No. The appeal has been carefully planned so that day-to-day lifesaving services are protected while we invest in long-term infrastructure.
The new bases will support faster aircraft turnaround, improved training, safer working environments and greater operational resilience — all helping crews deliver critical care as quickly and effectively as possible. Your Local Air Ambulance (Warwickshire & Northamptonshire) operations are currently based at Coventry Airport, a site facing closure. At the same time, the National Children’s Air Ambulance operates from London Oxford Airport, where ongoing operational restrictions and long-term uncertainty limit future planning.