Will you help to keep us flying lifesaving missions for another 10 years?

This year we are celebrating our 10th anniversary of the Children’s Air Ambulance and without your support, we simply wouldn’t be here. Every donation we receive goes a long way to keeping us flying lifesaving transfer missions for critically ill children.

What better way for us to celebrate 10 years of the Children’s Air Ambulance than our first-ever Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) patient transfer. That’s not all – we have also carried out our 600th patient transfer and developed our new Neonatal Transport Systems. These systems have been designed especially for our new AgustaWestland 169 helicopters and are the first incubators on a rotary-wing aircraft in England.

Peace of mind for parents

We are dedicated to transferring critically ill babies and children from local hospitals to specialist paediatric and neonatal treatment centres safely and speedily. Now we have the incubators we can transfer neonatal babies and create a safe environment from a temperature, humidity and oxygen level perspective for their journey. It’s almost like a second womb around the baby and an extra protective bubble. And it’s not just the babies that benefit…

Separating parents from their poorly children can be a traumatic experience at an already difficult time. Thanks to the design of the Neonatal Transport System, the cabin can accommodate a parent alongside a clinician. We cannot emphasise enough how priceless a parent’s peace of mind at a time like this is.

Each of our journeys cost an average of £3,500, even before recent fuel increases. Keeping our helicopters in the air for just three minutes costs around £171

Our Head of Operations for the Children’s Air Ambulance, Alfie, is used to making difficult decisions, but thanks to the generosity of our wonderful supporters, these decisions have been made much easier. We now have industry-leading technology to keep children safe in flight. We recently worked alongside Southampton Oxford Neonatal Transport (SONeT) to transfer a patient from Southampton to the Isle of Wight using our new and bespoke incubator. This transfer took just 11 minutes, rather than the 1 hour 53 minutes it would’ve taken by road and ferry. When every minute counts, the incubators have been life-changing to the children we transfer, and their families.

Despite the cost-of-living increases and people needing to prioritise their spending, the demand for our services is greater than ever. While the Clinical Partner Teams work closely with the NHS, we receive no financial support from the government. But lack of funding will never deter us from a mission or saving a child in your family. Thanks to all our wonderful supporters for making a difference to so many families. Your continued support will enable us to be there for critically ill babies and children for another 10 years and beyond!

Donate here to support the future of flying transfers.