After the successful funding and completion of two hospital emergency landing pads – one onsite at Southampton General Hospital and the other at Oswestry Spinal Injuries hospital – the HELP Appeal is now looking for further helipad projects at key A&E hospitals across the country.

The HELP Appeal, established by the County Air Ambulance Trust, provides non-repayable grants to hospitals needing financial support to build life-saving helipads, or to upgrade existing facilities with lighting for night flights.

Commenting on the grant scheme Robert Bertram, charity director at the County Air Ambulance Trust, said; “There’s a major shortage of hospital helipad facilities in this country. And some of the hospitals that already have helipads in place now need to upgrade them.

“We would like to hear from hospitals that need helipad facilities or perhaps need some help financing them. Hospitals looking for helipad funding should call us 0192 261 8058 or contact me at robert.b@helpappeal.org.uk.”

The HELP Appeal’s helipad grant scheme has already helped save many lives by funding the two hospital helipads mentioned above and the appeal is currently in discussions with a number of other hospitals across the country.

The HELP Appeal does not receive any government or lottery funding, and relies entirely on charitable donations. Donations go into a central funding programme and are used to finance hospital helipad projects like the one at Southampton General Hospital – which receives on average 1.1 emergency landings a day

Each HELP Appeal grant is based entirely on individual needs and circumstances but generally speaking the HELP Appeal will fund a percentage of the overall cost of construction with the hospital providing the remainder.

The County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal

The County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal relies solely on charitable donations and does not receive a single penny in government funding or from the National Lottery.

The HELP Appeal is part of an ongoing programme to raise funds needed to construct or update existing helipads around the country and ensure that all A&E hospitals have suitable helipad access in the future.