It has been nine years since Royal Bournemouth Hospital opened its larger, night-lit helipad, helping seriously ill and injured patients receive urgent specialist care at any hour.

The HELP Appeal – the only charity in the country dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads – donated the entire £117,000 cost of the new facility.

Since September 2017, the helipad has supported 351 landings from helicopters carrying critically ill patients from across the south of England.

Its night-lighting means that patients can be flown directly to the hospital throughout the day and night, helping medical teams begin vital treatment as quickly as possible.

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal, said:

“Every landing represents a seriously ill or injured patient who needed urgent hospital care. We are incredibly proud that our £117,000 donation has enabled helicopters to land at Royal Bournemouth Hospital around the clock. Nine years on, the helipad continues to demonstrate how the right facilities can help save time when every second matters.”

SCAS BASICS, a team of experienced volunteer clinicians, who give up their free time to be on call to help its local ambulance service, has received new custom-built and branded Manta PPE responder helmets, thanks to a generous £1,325 grant awarded at by the British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS) and funded by the HELP Appeal.

The new helmets replace ageing equipment that had reached the end of its safe working life, helping SCAS BASICS clinicians continue responding safely to critically ill and injured patients.

This vital grant support also enables the team to uphold its core ethos of promoting clinical excellence; enhancing patient outcomes and supporting peers.

Last year, the HELP Appeal donated £28,590 to SCAS BASICS, which enabled it to purchase a state of the art critical care car, enabling the team to deploy a second critical care car to attend patients across Hampshire where the scheme currently operates. The extra resource is allowing the team to reach more people in critical need of pre-hospital enhanced care, further strengthening the service’s ability to support patients in their time of greatest need.

SCAS BASICS has extended its huge thanks to the HELP Appeal and BASICS for their generous support and commitment to frontline immediate care.

Winning charity auction bidder, David Hicks-Beech has taken delivery of a new state-of-the-art bike from Evans Cycles after placing the winning bid at the HELP Appeal Charity Pro-Am Golf Day auction.

The bike was one of the standout lots in the charity auction held at Minchinhampton Golf Club in May this year. David’s successful bid helped raise vital funds for the HELP Appeal, which funds the development of NHS hospital helipads and improves emergency access for critically ill and injured patients across the UK.

David was delighted to receive the bike from Reuben in Evans Cycles’ Bristol store and is now looking forward to putting it through its paces.

He said:

“Winning it was a fantastic end to a memorable day and it is even more special knowing that my bid is helping the HELP Appeal fund lifesaving hospital helipads across the country.”

The HELP Appeal Charity Pro-Am Golf Day brought together 90 players and guests for a day of golf and fundraising. Following play on Minchinhampton’s Open Regional Qualifying Course, guests enjoyed lunch and a charity auction in the clubhouse.

Michael Henriques, Chairman of the HELP Appeal said:

“We were delighted that David has received his new bike. We hope he enjoys every moment with it, and we are extremely grateful for his generous winning bid. Every contribution made at the auction will help us continue improving emergency care so that critically ill patients are treated in the fastest possible time.”

The HELP Appeal would also like to thank event sponsors Rathbones and Butler Sherborn, along with the players, PGA Professionals, supporters, volunteers and everyone whose generosity helped make the event such a success.

North West Pre-Hospital Critical Care (NWPCCC) has enhanced its volunteer-led specialist pre-hospital critical care service thanks to a £4,960 donation from the HELP Appeal via the British Association for Immediate Care.

The funding has contributed towards the purchase of essential frontline equipment, including PAX specialist medical response bags; Manta helmets for clinical responders and high-visibility response jackets.

The new equipment has improved responder readiness and increased the availability and standardisation of frontline response equipment, when clinicians are attending major trauma, cardiac arrest and other complex medical emergencies.

The HELP Appeal has received a fantastic £5,000 donation, made possible by the Directors of AFC Solihull, Tony Donnelly and Paul Woodford.

Their commitment to supporting worthwhile causes continues to make a real difference within our community.

Lesley Obee from the HELP Appeal said:

“This generous donation will help fund much needed NHS hospital helipads, air ambulance base helipads and critical care cars, enabling specialist medical teams to reach critically ill and injured patients quickly.”

The HELP Appeal is marking the first anniversary of improvement works that brought Maidstone Hospital’s vital helipad in line with the latest national standards.

The £170,000-plus upgrade was made possible by a generous donation from the charity.

One year on, the improved facility continues to support the rapid transfer of critically ill patients arriving at Maidstone Hospital or travelling to specialist Major Trauma Centres, including King’s College Hospital in London, where the HELP Appeal also funded a helipad.

It also provides air ambulance crews with a safe landing site 24 hours a day, seven days a week when responding to emergencies in the surrounding community. Its night-landing capability allows road ambulance teams to meet helicopters and transfer patients quickly and safely, even after dark.

The improvement works included new state-of-the-art lighting, upgraded fencing and safety barriers, and a highly visible bright-green surface designed to meet national compliance standards. Green aviation lights were also installed, enabling lifesaving flights to continue throughout the night.

Maidstone Hospital’s helipad was originally opened by HRH The Princess Royal in 2019. The HELP Appeal funded its entire construction with a £300,000 donation.

Since opening, the helipad has supported more than 190 landings by emergency helicopters, including aircraft operated by Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex and the Children’s Air Ambulance.

The HELP Appeal has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening emergency care by awarding its annual £60,000 grant to the West Midlands Central Accident Resuscitation Emergency (CARE) Team, helping it to continue delivering advanced pre-hospital emergency care to critically ill and injured patients across the West Midlands.

The HELP Appeal, based in Walsall, is the only charity in the country dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads, ensuring air ambulances can transfer patients directly to specialist hospital care. Alongside this work, the charity supports organisations that enhance emergency medicine and improve patient outcomes, recognising that the patient’s journey begins long before they arrive at hospital.

The West Midlands CARE Team plays a vital role in that journey. Working in partnership with the West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust (WMAS), its volunteer doctors, nurses, paramedics and other healthcare professionals provide enhanced clinical care at the scene of serious medical emergencies in their free time, bringing advanced hospital-level interventions directly to patients when every second counts.

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal, said:

“The HELP Appeal is committed to improving every stage of patients’ emergency care, from the moment specialist clinicians arrive at the scene through to direct admission to hospital via a helipad. Supporting organisations like the West Midlands CARE Team is an important part of that commitment.

“The team’s highly skilled volunteers provide exceptional clinical care in the most challenging circumstances, delivering advanced treatments that can make the difference between life and death. We are delighted to continue our long-standing support with this annual £60,000 grant, helping ensure they can continue providing this outstanding service to communities across the West Midlands.”

Responding alongside WMAS, the CARE Team deploys specialist rapid response vehicles, one of which the HELP Appeal has also funded, staffed by experienced volunteer clinicians. Each team includes a Clinical Lead, Clinical Support clinician and an emergency response driver, enabling them to deliver advanced care safely and efficiently before patients reach hospital.

Their expertise allows them to perform interventions usually only available in emergency departments, including advanced airway management, procedural sedation, advanced pain relief, pre-hospital ultrasound, mechanical chest compressions, clot-busting therapy during cardiac arrest and life-saving surgical procedures.

The charity has also been at the forefront of innovation in pre-hospital emergency medicine. It successfully piloted the region’s first advanced cardiac arrest response platform, becoming the first enhanced care service in the West Midlands to routinely use mechanical chest compression devices alongside pre-hospital ultrasound. The success of the pilot led to the commissioning of a charity-funded critical care paramedic response vehicle, helping to improve advanced cardiac arrest care across the central Midlands.

A spokesperson for the West Midlands CARE Team said:

 “We are incredibly grateful to the HELP appeal for this generous donation, which will have a direct and meaningful impact on the lifesaving care we provide. This support strengthens our ability to deliver specialist medical assistance to the most sick and injured individuals across our community and we are truly thankful for the trust and commitment shown to our volunteer‑led service.”

Since 2009, the HELP Appeal has donated millions of pounds to projects that improve emergency care, funding NHS hospital helipads, air ambulance bases, critical care cars and medical equipment that enables critically ill and injured patients to be treated quickly. By continuing to support organisations such as the West Midlands CARE Team, the HELP Appeal is helping to strengthen the entire emergency care pathway, from the roadside to hospital, ensuring patients receive the best possible care at every stage of their journey.

Construction of the new Emergency Department (ED) and Critical Care Unit at Dorset County Hospital (DCH) has marked another major milestone, with the installation of the rooftop helipad.

A Topping Out ceremony was held by construction partner Tilbury Douglas to mark the building reaching its highest point.

Funded by the New Hospital Programme (NHP), the £100million building will provide two floors of clinical space and help transform the way the Trust provides emergency care.

The new Emergency Department will allow DCH to treat more patients and will include a dedicated area for children and young people, as well as space designed for people experiencing difficulties with their mental health. The Critical Care Unit will expand from 11 to 16 beds with the potential to increase further in the future and it will also include a paediatric space. The building will be connected to the main hospital by a link corridor and the space freed up will be re-purposed to support same day emergency care.

Members of the national NHP team, local partners and scheme supporters joined Trust teams to celebrate this milestone, which was marked by the unveiling of the £2million rooftop helipad courtesy of the HELP Appeal – the only charity in the country dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads.

Planning permission has been granted for the development of a new airbase in Edwalton for the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) Charity where the HELP Appeal has donated £2m towards the build cost.

The move will provide critical infrastructure to support the expansion of LNAA’s life-saving service. On average, crews respond to four missions a day, and so far in 2026, they have responded to an average of five missions a day.

LNAA’s CEO, Karen Jobling, said:

“This is a major milestone for the Charity as part of our strategy for expansion. This second airbase will enable our critical care teams to be by the side of more patients, especially across Nottinghamshire. The airbase location is particularly significant as it is very close to Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) – the Major Trauma Centre for the East Midlands – which does not have a helipad on site.”

Located just south of the A52/A606 roundabout at Edwalton, the site was pledged as a gift to the Charity by local benefactor Mr Brian Wells. It comes after Tollerton Airfield was sold for development, meaning it will no longer serve as a base for LNAA’s Nottingham Critical Care Car or as a landing site for the helicopter.

Mr Wells said:

“This is fantastic news, and as a long-time supporter, I am happy that I have been able to help the Charity save more lives. Anyone could need its life-saving care at any time, so this is an important step.”

Plans to upgrade the helipad at Basildon Hospital have been approved, paving the way for improved care for heart patients requiring emergency treatment.

Basildon Hospital is home to the region’s major cardiothoracic centre. As a result, patients experiencing cardiac arrest make up a large proportion of those flown to the hospital.

Enhancing the helipad is essential to ensure this life-saving service can transport even more patients to the hospital as quickly as possible.

Maimuna Mushabe, Chief Executive for Basildon Hospital, said:

“This upgrade will make the area safer, Civil Aviation Authority compliant and will mean a smoother service for heart patients who need to come to the world-renowned Essex Cardiothoracic Centre by air ambulance. It’s already being used by these patients, so the changes will help improve that service for patients, air and ground crews alike.”

The planning approval clears the way for a fully night-flight capable landing site, improving both safety and access for patients being airlifted to the hospital.

Funded entirely by the HELP Appeal, the project will see the existing unlit tarmac helipad replaced with a modern facility equipped with pilot-controlled lighting.

The improvements will allow Essex & Herts Air Ambulance to continue its own flight operations until 8pm, with the new lighting enabling crews to land and take off safely later into the afternoon and evening during the darker winter months, when reduced daylight can otherwise limit operations.

A start date for the work has not yet been confirmed, but once underway it is expected to take around six months to complete.

Scott McIlwaine, Head of Aviation and Operations at Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, said:

“We are delighted at this news as Basildon Hospital plays a vital role in supporting Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, particularly as the region’s major cardiothoracic centre. Cardiac arrest cases account for a significant proportion of our missions.

“The planned helipad improvements will make landings safer for our crews and help us get patients to Basildon more quickly, including later in the afternoon and evening during winter when fading light can otherwise prevent flights. This is an important step in ensuring we can continue getting the region’s sickest patients to the specialist hospital care they need, whenever they need us.”

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal, said:

“This planning approval is a significant milestone for Basildon Hospital and, most importantly, for the patients whose lives depend on rapid access to specialist emergency care. By fully funding this brand new helipad, the HELP Appeal is helping to ensure air ambulances can land safely both day and night, giving critically ill patients faster access to the expert treatment they need. We are proud to fund a project that will strengthen emergency care across the region and help save more lives.”