Issue 7 | Summer 2026
When I joined The Air Ambulance Service as the Director of Fundraising earlier this year, people kept asking me the same question: “What made you want to work for an air ambulance charity?” The honest answer is simple. This service matters to me personally.
I grew up in Warwickshire. Like many of you reading this, the sight and sound of the helicopter overhead has always meant something. It is reassuring. It means that somewhere nearby, in what may be the worst moment of someone’s life, extraordinary people are on their way. Over the years, three people close to me have needed the help of the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance.
Thankfully, in those moments of crisis, this charity was there for them. As a parent myself, I find it deeply comforting to know that if the unthinkable ever happened, my daughter could benefit from the National Children’s Air Ambulance.
That is why this role feels so important to me. It is not just another fundraising job. It is personal. What has struck me most since joining is the sheer commitment of the people behind this charity. Our clinicians, crew, volunteers, shop teams, fundraisers, lottery players, donors, corporate partners and supporters all pull in the same direction.
There is a real sense of family here, and I already feel incredibly proud to be part of it.
Oli Hiscoe
Director of Fundraising
Together, we save more lives.
Your support helps us be there for patients when they need us most.
Our bespoke aircraft provides a flying intensive care unit for transferring babies and children between hospitals for specialist care.
* These figures refelct our missions from inception in 2013 – April 2026.
Earlier this year, we launched the Big Bases Appeal our most ambitious capital campaign to date, where we are working to create two new purpose-built, mission-ready air ambulance bases that will support both Your Local Air Ambulance and the National Children’s Air Ambulance.
We must act now to deliver the first phase of the Big Bases Appeal, the new South Base, due to significant operational challenges affecting our current locations.
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.
This is about far more than relocating. These modern facilities will give our specialist crews the space, equipment and operational resilience they need to prepare, train and mobilise faster, helping them reach patients sooner and deliver critical care when it matters most. Emergencies don’t keep office hours, and neither do we.
To bring this vision to life, we are seeking £9 million in public and philanthropic donations to fund the project, with remaining costs met through our reserves. This allows us to build sustainably while protecting our day-to-day lifesaving services. As a charity, we receive no government or NHS funding — every mission we fly is powered by people like you.
In recent months, we’ve been building awareness and support for the appeal across our communities. This has included a targeted campaign across Warwickshire and Northamptonshire, featuring bus advertising, posters in railway stations and supermarkets, radio activity and a door drop. Our retail and community teams have also been championing the appeal locally, supported by social media activity and a raffle.
In May, we were delighted to host a black-tie Gala Dinner, bringing supporters together for a memorable evening and raising vital funds to support the appeal.
Phase two of the plan will focus on relocating our Nottingham Heliport base which serves Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, to a more suitable location within our region, with the aim of developing a new, purpose-built facility to better support our crews and patients, further details are to be confirmed and will be shared in due course.
Every step we take brings us closer to creating a base designed for rapid response, helping our crews get airborne sooner and reach patients faster. Because when every minute matters, the time saved on the ground can make all the difference.
If you’d like to find out more, or explore ways to support us whether through making a donation or organising your own fundraising, please click here.
Wendy has volunteered for the National Children’s Air Ambulance since October 2021, bringing with her a lifetime of experience devoted to caring for and helping others. Her journey to the charity began decades earlier, with a career that took her from military medicine to local hospitals and, eventually, to the welcoming team at the Stamford Children’s Air Ambulance shop.
She joined the Royal Air Force in 1978 as a medical assistant. Her intensive training covered nursing duties including wound care, taking blood and assisting doctors. She also worked in an operational unit alongside the fire service under air traffic control, helping to support flying emergencies.
During her time in the RAF, Wendy trained as a Flight Nursing Assistant. Flying from an RAF base in Oxfordshire, she escorted sick and injured personnel back to the UK and helped transfer them to military hospitals. As an aero medic, her role took her all over the world and placed her in situations where preparation, teamwork and calm care were essential.
In January 1991, during the first Gulf War, Wendy was stationed in Cyprus in preparation for a large medical evacuation. Her team was ready to respond to mass casualties, although the war ended quickly and their services were not ultimately needed.
Wendy left the RAF after 17 years and 5 months. In May 1996, she joined the pathology department at Stamford & Rutland Hospital before transferring to Peterborough City Hospital, where she remained until retiring in 2016. She later spent five years working in the Phlebotomy department at Stamford Hospital, including throughout the Covid pandemic.
After retiring, Wendy wanted to remain active and continue contributing to her community. She enquired about volunteering at the Stamford Children’s Air Ambulance shop and has been part of the charity ever since. She was drawn to its lifesaving work and the shop’s welcoming atmosphere, but the people are what matter most to her. “It’s a wonderful place to volunteer.”
“After everything we had been through, we just wanted to get back home. When we found out that the National Children’s Air Ambulance was coming to pick up Caiden and take him back to the hospital where he was born, we couldn’t believe it.” – Emily, Caiden’s Mum
For Emily Milton, those words capture the overwhelming relief she felt at the end of what she calls “the hardest ten days of my life.” Standing beside the specially designed baby pod as her tiny son Caiden was prepared for flight, she felt “overwhelmed with gratitude” to everyone who had helped him survive.
Caiden’s fight for life began moments after he was born by emergency caesarean section at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. He had arrived four weeks early and had been starved of oxygen during a traumatic birth. Doctors knew he urgently needed cooling therapy, also known as therapeutic hypothermia, to reduce the risk of severe brain damage.
That specialist treatment was not available in Taunton. Just four hours after his birth, Caiden was taken 75 miles by land ambulance to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, accompanied by his dad, James. Emily was still recovering from surgery and had to remain behind. “I didn’t know if he was going to be OK,” she says. “I had only seen him for five minutes. It was so hard and I was very emotional.”
Emily’s mother drove her to Plymouth the following day so she could join James and Caiden. For ten long days, they stayed beside their newborn son as he received specialist care. Meanwhile, friends and relatives looked after Caiden’s older brother Noah, who was nearly two, while the family’s everyday life was turned upside down.
Caiden responded well to the cooling therapy and, after eight days, was strong enough to come off the ventilator. Two days later, although he was still being tube-fed, doctors decided he was ready to return to Taunton and continue his recovery closer to home.
“We knew Caiden was in safe hands and being transferred the quickest way possible.”
The National Children’s Air Ambulance flew from Oxford to collect the SONAR Team, a specialist neonatal transport service from University Hospital Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, before heading to Plymouth. The specialist team carefully prepared Caiden for the journey in the aircraft’s baby pod, while Emily and James travelled back separately.
The return flight to Musgrove Park Hospital took just 26 minutes, compared with a 90-minute journey by road. During the flight, the SONAR team sent photos and regular text updates, reassuring Emily and James every step of the way.
Just over an hour later, the family arrived back in Taunton. Caiden was asleep in the Special Care Baby Unit, only ten minutes from home, and they were reunited with Noah. Two days later, Caiden was feeding well from a bottle and was finally able to leave hospital.
“We are so grateful to the National Children’s Air Ambulance and the SONAR team for getting Caiden back safely and quickly. It’s incredible that donations from people we don’t even know paid to fly our son home. We want to give something back, so we’re going to fundraise to help another child reach the care they need.”
– Emily, Caiden’s Mum
Our bases provide nationwide coverage for our 365-day service. However, unlike The Air Ambulance Service’s HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Services) operations, our crews are not dispatched by NHS ambulance service controllers. Instead, our service co-ordinates its own response to requests for service.
The National Children’s Air Ambulance operates from two airbases: London Oxford Airport in the south and Retford Gamston Airport in the north. Together, they support nationwide coverage for a service that operates 365 days a year. Our small, dedicated team provides cover from 07:00–22:00 every day, including periods of lone working.
Our responsibility is to coordinate missions from the initial request through to their safe conclusion. That means helping patients and NHS clinical partner teams reach the specialist care they need, while also making sure our aircrews can return safely to base. By keeping delays to a minimum, we can offer little patients life-changing transfer times compared with long journeys by road.
From the moment a call comes in, every minute matters. We gather all the information needed, select and dispatch the most appropriate aircrew, and support the crew as they begin planning the mission. At the same time, the airdesk contacts the requested helicopter landing sites and communicates with every team and organisation involved. Before departure, we complete a full briefing with the aircrew so everyone has the latest information.
Once the aircraft is in the air, our work continues. We maintain communication, monitor the mission closely and solve problems as they emerge. Changing weather, pilot duty limits and possible diversions for higher-priority HEMS flights can all affect a plan. Some landing sites can be used at night, while others are daylight-only, so timings must be tracked carefully and protocols followed without acting too early or too late.
Although the role is desk-based, a single mission can last up to 10 hours. Afterwards, we gather NHS feedback, debrief the crew, analyse the time saved and keep landing-site information up to date. Each mission supports a family during an incredibly difficult time, making our role both a significant responsibility and a genuine privilege.
My journey with The Air Ambulance Service began in spring 2025, when I joined the National Children’s Air Ambulance as an Airdesk Coordinator. In this edition of Sky’s The Limit, my colleague Jess and I are sharing a closer look at the work that takes place behind every transfer and the careful coordination needed to keep each mission moving safely.
I’ve been an Airdesk Coordinator since January. This vital role sits at the heart of every mission we undertake. No two requests are exactly the same, so we must react calmly to what is happening in the moment while also anticipating the challenges that could arise later in the journey.
We are thrilled to share some fantastic news with our supporters: six brand-new charity shops have opened this year in Ripley, Ashbourne, Kenilworth, Ilkeston, Sutton in Ashfield and Stone Stratford – and they are already making a powerful difference.
By bringing teams together across their business in our signature colours, hosting themed activities, and inspiring others to donate, some of our corporate partners showed just how powerful simple, creative ideas can be.
We love hearing from our supporters, and that’s why I’m excited to introduce Supporter Voice – a new way for you to have a more active say in how we grow and develop.
We’re thrilled to share what you helped raise in our Spring Raffle. Every ticket and every donation has made a real difference – thank you so much for your kindness and generosity.
I was more than happy to take part in the raffle to do my little bit to help. You never know when you might need their services.
– James, Spring Raffle 2026 winner
Thank you for reading Sky’s the Limit.
Every mission we fly is made possible by people like you. Your support helps keep our helicopters flying, our Critical Care Cars responding and our specialist crews there for patients when every second counts.
Prefer the printed layout? Download the complete Issue 7 of Sky’s the Limit as a PDF.
Want to catch up on past editions of Sky’s the Limit? You can find the full catalogue here.